Harlequin Intrigue June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: To Honor and To Protect\Cornered\Untraceable (11 page)

“Addi,” he murmured, brushing his thumb along her jaw. “You need to know I could still break. Some sounds, certain contact throws me off. If something happens—”

“It won't. I trust you.” She kissed him again, lingering this time, enjoying the way her body remembered him.

“Hang on.” He took her face in his hands, held her just out of reach. “Let me say it.”

“Okay.”

“If they find you and I...falter, promise me you'll run.”

She couldn't stand the idea of leaving him to fight for the sole purpose of buying her time to escape. Not now. Her fingers curled around his hands, slid down his wrists. “I promise,” she lied. He wouldn't listen to reason right now, and logical arguments were the last thing on her mind.

With his taste on her lips once more, need for him roared through her like an unquenchable craving. A need for him she thought long dead. “Seal it with a kiss?”

He hesitated so long she wondered if he'd forgotten all the
x
's and
o
's under the red lipstick print she'd added to her signature with every letter she'd sent him. Then, finally, with agonizing deliberation, he covered her mouth with his. His warm, firm lips washed away the tension she'd been carrying and her body went pliant.

Angling, she parted her lips and the first tentative stroke of his tongue had her moaning. He tasted of strong coffee and spices from dinner and the delightful, edgy temptation she remembered. Her pulse drummed in her ears. Here was the kiss, the passion she thought she was incapable of ever feeling again. She couldn't get close enough to his heat, his heart.

His whiskers rasped under her fingertips as she rediscovered the shape of him. Leaner, yes, but still Drew, the man she loved. Had never stopped loving. She wanted to tell him, but she knew he wouldn't believe her. She'd rather show him how nothing had changed.

She grinned as he pulled her across his lap, his hands sliding up the back of her thin tank top. Pressed against him from breast to core, his thighs hot and strong under hers, she felt complete, powerful. The danger of her present circumstances forgotten for the moment.

She kissed him deeply, reveling in the warm, sensual haze that had always come over her when she was with him. Only him.

His erection nudged at her through the denim shorts and she gripped his shoulders as she rocked against him. She moaned, the friction of the fabric between them deliciously unbearable. He made that familiar rumble of pleasure in his throat as she rocked again, sucking lightly on his tongue.

Being a single mom hadn't left her much time for dating, and her few experiences had never compared to Drew. She'd thought motherhood had killed her passion. Now she knew better. The most intimate parts of her—body and soul—wouldn't settle for anyone but him.

She dipped her head, trailing kisses along his hard jaw, down his throat and across the scar under his collarbone. His pulse raced under her mouth.

His hands covered her breasts through her shirt, thumbs bringing her nipples to hard peaks through the thin layers of her bra and tank top. Her head dropped back as she arched into his touch. She was tugging at the hem of his T-shirt, desperate to get it out of the way, when an owl called from a tree nearby. She jerked back, remembering where they were and that their son was resting on the other side of a thin wall.

“We can't do this.”

“What?” He stared up at her, his eyes glazed over, his breath quick.

She pushed against his shoulders, using every ounce of her willpower to scoot out of his reach. “This, Drew.” She gulped in air. “This isn't the right time.”

“Right time,” he echoed, pushing a hand through his hair.

Suddenly she felt too exposed, as if the entirety of the swamp stood by, judging her. “We're outside.” A lousy excuse and the wrong thing to say as his eyes locked with hers. Her cheeks flooded with heat when she realized they were both recalling a particularly erotic interlude during a weekend camping trip in a Mississippi state park.

“We'll go inside,” he said, catching her hand.

“No.” Only one of them was thinking clearly. She pulled free. Inside was worse than outside with Andy asleep in one of the two beds. She'd never had cause to explain a man in her bed to her son, and she wasn't about to start now. Remembering how it had been between her and Drew, she vowed that when they made love again—if things went that far—their son wouldn't be within hearing distance. “This—” she waved a hand between them “—has to wait.”

“Okay.” Drew pushed to his feet and moved to the bottom of the steps. “I'll just do a perimeter check.”

“Don't bother. We're safe,” she said. “Everett doesn't know about my connections here.”

But Drew left without another word. She watched him go, debating the wisdom of waiting outside for his return. Better, she decided, if she hurried in and pretended to be asleep when he got back.

Her legs were rubbery, her skin prickling with every sensation as she tried to settle down in bed. She needed the rest, but her body wanted the exciting promise of pleasure in Drew's arms. It shocked her, embarrassed her a little how much she'd wanted him. Needed him. One kiss and she'd blotted out all risk, all thought of his commitments as well as her own.

What did that mean for the future, assuming they survived Craig's inevitable efforts to find her? Her heart already had designs on reclaiming what they'd lost, but that wasn't practical.

Was it?

Exasperated with herself, she rolled to her side, putting her back to the door. She closed her eyes, but it was an exercise in futility until he came back.

Finally she heard him, deliberately clearing his throat and scraping the dirt from his boots on the top step. She placed her hand on the shotgun anyway until the door opened and she heard his voice.

“All clear,” he murmured.

She didn't dare reply.

Chapter Twelve

Only when Drew heard Addi's breath even out did he let himself doze off. It didn't qualify as sleep, disturbed by the contrast of recalling her sweet body in his hands and the imminent danger he sensed closing in on them.

There'd been no sign near the markers he'd placed, but he felt the threat lurking in the shadows. Paranoia was a symptom of what he'd survived, and he struggled to keep his weaknesses at bay. Another move would cause more problems than it solved. Telling his body to stand down, he closed his eyes. With Addi a mere arm's length away, he couldn't stop wishing he'd done things differently.

If he'd escaped the prison sooner. If he'd just said no when the knock had sounded on his hotel room door. He thought of what she'd endured without any support and kicked himself for not grabbing the minister and insisting they exchange vows before the mission. She would've had access to his military benefits that way. He had known how to make the most of his available time and he'd squandered it.

In a twilight sleep he had that sweet dream of her walking down the aisle, but this time she wore a cotton tank top and denim shorts. It sounded just as miraculous when she said, “I do.”

The floor squeaked, tearing him from the dream until he realized it was Addi rolling over.

What would it take to get her to open up about those years? He'd probably shared more with her than he should have, but in the moment he couldn't have stopped the tide of words. He finally understood what the shrinks meant about finding a confidant. Her reaction, those hot kisses, had been unexpected, filling the desolate places in his soul and smoothing out the raw edges.

He was dreaming of their first kiss as husband and wife. This time they were at the front of a small chapel with sunlight streaming through stained-glass windows. She wore a white gown worthy of a princess, and he'd just lifted her veil when he heard the slide and scrape of something near the cabin.

Awake once more, he held his breath, listening and counting the passing seconds. At the count of eleven, he heard the unmistakable sound of boots on the ground.

No time to waste wondering how they'd been found—it was time to go. With dead calm and absolute silence, he looked over to Addi. She was already sitting up, the shotgun across her knees. Good woman.

“I'll look,” he whispered. They needed some idea of what they were up against. “Take the bag and wait with Andy.”

She nodded, moving quietly to do as he said.

He headed for the door, leaving his pistol in the holster at his hip. Based on the sounds that had woken him, he assumed the boats had been spotted despite his efforts to conceal them. They'd have to push through the swamp and hope they found a safe place to hide. He intended to clear a path.

Wincing as the door hinges creaked, he dropped to one knee just outside the opening, braced for any reaction.

A silhouette rushed up the stairs, handgun raised. Clearly not a case of hunters or kids messing around. Adrenaline zipped along his nerves, bringing all his senses to high alert. Waiting for the perfect moment, he reached out and grabbed the black boot just before it hit the top step. Before the man could shout, Drew flipped him feet over head back down the steps.

In the commotion, he heard two more low voices check in by radio. A team of three. It made sense. Three men in a strike boat would be agile and mobile and feel confident about overpowering a scared mother and child. But were other teams searching other pockets and cabins in the swamp?

Only one way to find out.

Using the shadows, he eased back against the wall of the cabin, watching to see if the others showed themselves. A man passed under his position, heading for his pal at the bottom of the stairs. He heard the whispered comments and the call for reinforcements.

Damn.

Make a stand or run?

Run
.

It was the best option. Out in the swamps they had the slight advantage of understanding the terrain. In the cabin, they were sitting ducks with limited ammunition. He crept back inside, hoping Addi didn't shoot him before he could get them out. He found her tucked between the beds, shotgun loaded and ready.

“Take the bag,” he said. He scooped Andy into his arms. “Down the steps and bear right to the swamp. I'll follow you.”

Eyes narrowed, she gave a short nod and opened the door. When they cleared the steps without incident, he felt a prickling at the back of his neck. It was too easy.

He paused behind the wide trunk of a live oak tree. “Stay behind me,” he instructed.

Her eyes went wide and her lips parted on a protest, but he didn't have time to debate and discuss. He winced as his boots splashed into the shallow water, followed by hers.

Someone shouted, but they didn't heed the warning. A bullet whizzed by and he felt a moment's panic that the shooter had hit Addi. “Keep going,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He did. Covering Andy's head with one hand, he moved as quietly and swiftly as he was able.

“Where we going?” Andy whispered sleepily.

“Some bad guys showed up.”

“Really? Why?”

The excitement wasn't necessarily the best reaction, but it beat panic in Drew's opinion. “I'm not sure.”

“Did you shoot 'em?”

“No.”

“Are you gonna?”

“If I have to. I won't let them hurt you.”

“I know that.”

The little boy's certainty fueled Drew's determination and steadied him more than he would've thought possible.

“I can ride piggyback and you can shoot.”

And the boy would be between them, better protected. “All right, but you have to stay awake and stay quiet.”

“I promise,” he whispered.

They paused long enough for Drew to get Andy situated on his back. “Anything?”

Addi shook her head. “I heard them at first but not now.”

“So far they aren't in front of us,” Drew said, slowing the pace a bit.

“When the trees break, we should follow the inlet.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Better cover.”

She would know. He led the way as they alternated running with pauses to listen for any pursuit. Drew checked his watch as the first hour went by.

He halted their march when he caught the low rumble of an outboard motor on the water nearby. They froze, sinking back into the cover of tree trunks and bushes away from the shore. At his back Andy wriggled away from the tickling fronds of a fern, but the boy didn't make a sound. Thankfully, he didn't snap the offending stalks, which would leave a clear mark for those trailing them.

Addi touched his arm. “Do you—”

She stopped short when the motor died. Drew strained to hear anything helpful, but a radio crackled and his stomach knotted with dread when he realized they were caught between their pursuers and another team.

Damn it. Someone on the other side of the swamp must have spotted them. Given a rifle, with or without night-vision goggles, Drew would've made a more aggressive choice. Still, he had to do something to buy them a bit more time.

“Wait here.” He settled Andy next to his mom and handed her his gun. “For backup.” He set the timer on Andy's watch. “Start moving when that goes off. I'll catch up.”

Any protest she might've launched died when they heard another radio exchange. This time on the shore. Too close. With a nod for Andy to start his watch, Drew slipped into the darkness and went to reduce the odds against them.

The moonlight drifted across the water as he crept along the shore. The boat, a dark rubber tactical vessel, floated just out of light. One man searched the shoreline with binoculars, while another remained seated near the motor. A third man kept his assault rifle ready, muttering instructions into his headset periodically.

Drew found a rock and tossed it out into the water, away from Addi and Andy's hiding place. The response was controlled, much as it had been when he'd tossed the man down the steps. A well-trained team of at least six.

Checking back with the team on the boat, he listened for any movement from the team trailing them. He was nearly on one of them before he realized it. Drew recovered from the surprise first, applying a choke hold. When the man slumped unconscious against a cypress tree, Drew relieved him of his weapons and radio. He listened to the comms as he circled wide of the place where Addi and Andy waited.

They should break any second now; the watch alarm and movement would cause another reaction, giving Drew better targets. It was the hardest thirty seconds of his life, but when they started moving, he used the stolen weapon and picked off the shooter on the boat, causing that team to run for cover. Then, like a snake coiled to strike, he waited for the last two men of the first team to come by.

When he caught up with Addi and Andy, they were making decent progress toward the inlet. “Just me,” he called out, his voice sounding too loud in the night swamp.

She stopped and turned toward him, putting Andy behind her and raising the shotgun. “You're alone?”

“Yes.”

Even in the mottled shadows of the dark swamp he could see her shoulders relax. “Good.”

“It's a small window,” he added, coming closer. “We have to move quickly. There were two teams and I expect they have reinforcements.”

* * *

A
DDISON
WATCHED
AS
he settled Andy on his back once more. She wanted to ask what he'd done, but she wouldn't do it in front of her son. Idolizing Captain America in the comics was one thing, but the finality of life and death in the real world was completely different.

“Did you get 'em all?” Andy whispered.

“No,” Drew replied in kind. “Just the ones in my way.”

“Huh.”

“Quiet,” she reminded her son. The night was far from over. “We'll stop soon.” She hoped they made it to a place safe enough to give them time to develop a new plan.

Drew had offered to take her to safety, to tell her story to Casey, and she'd stubbornly refused. For good reason, she reminded herself as they progressed through the swamp. What she'd discovered about Craig made her skin crawl more than the idea of napping beside an alligator. As a corporate attorney, she had a basic understanding of international business law. As an intelligent person, she knew how to dive beneath headlines to see how world events would affect the interests of her clients.

“What day is it?” she asked, suddenly unable to remember.

Drew sidestepped a low-hanging branch, slid in some soft ground and caught his balance before he replied, “After midnight, so officially it's the eighth.”

On the tenth, less than forty-eight hours away, if Professor Hastings didn't hear from her, he would go public with the additional information she'd compiled on Craig. The details included his bank records and his latest trips abroad. Surely someone, maybe the person who'd sent Drew to find her, could use that to see justice done.

As they followed the inlet deeper into the swamp, the muscles in her legs burned, her tennis shoes were soaked and squishy and the shotgun grew heavy in her arms. She wasn't ready to stop. Every splash of water, every call of an owl made her press on.

Another motor sounded, but this one was far distant and pitched differently than the attack boat.

“Not them,” Drew confirmed, helping her over a fallen log. “Wrong sound.”

She managed to get in another full breath. “Hiding in here gives us plenty of reaction time to any boats coming this way,” she said, convincing herself.

“Down this inlet a boat's more likely to run aground,” he agreed.

She jumped, belatedly recognizing the sound she'd heard as the soft scrabble and swish of an alligator sliding into the water.

“Let's stop here,” Drew said.

“You should keep going,” Addison said, gasping for air. “Andy's asleep on your shoulder. Keep heading that direction and you'll find someone to help you.”

From one step to the next she'd hit the limit of her endurance, but she would not be the reason either Drew or her son died. Her arms and legs were scraped and scratched and she'd likely itch from a thousand insect bites by morning. All of which were trivial. “I've got enough shells to hold them off while you go.”

“We'll camp here.”

“Do we have a tent?” Andy asked, rubbing a fist across his eyes.

“Shh.” She looked up at Drew, unable to make out his expression in the darkness. “Drew, you can keep going. I'll hold my own if they find me here. It's me Craig wants.”

“I'm sure we've lost them,” he replied in a tone that told her the discussion was over. She remembered that same tone when she'd pointed out the multiple pitfalls of a long-distance relationship.

She pulled together her fragmented attention, another sign of exhaustion. Any argument would more likely reveal their position than change his mind. As much as she wanted to keep going, she didn't have any energy left. Besides, if the roles were reversed, she wouldn't leave him behind, either.

Saving her strength as well as her breath, she conceded, slipping the bag off her shoulder and letting it fall to the ground. The zipper sounded too loud against the backdrop of nature's night creatures. Biting her lip, she prayed the people after them weren't as familiar with the sounds of the swampy environment.

Taking in their position and the potential dangers from nature and man, they chose a place to create a sheltered hideout. Drew talked her through the process of laying out a tarp and settled Andy on it as soon as she was done. The excitement and escape had taken a toll on him and before long, he was curled on his side, sleeping deeply.

Together she and Drew cast camouflage netting between the trees. The humidity and temperatures had dropped with the night, and a light breeze stirred the air as they settled into their hideout.