Читать книгу Navy SEAL Noel - Liz Johnson - Страница 11

TWO

Jess huddled in the farthest corner of her cell, behind the bed where she’d managed to filch only a few hours of sleep the past few nights. The lumpy mattress and loose bedsprings stood like a sentinel between her and the doorway now, but they wouldn’t be much protection if anyone came in.

She grasped the foot-long wrench she’d stolen off a maintenance cart three days before, holding it vertical and ready to swing if her worst nightmare crashed through that door. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the windowless room enough that she could make out the rotting slats of the lower part of the door by the crack of light seeping beneath it.

Despite plenty of threatening noises every night since her arrival, no one had unlocked the bolt on the outside of the door. Not yet. But if someone did, she’d be ready for him.

She crouched for what felt like hours, unable to tell the exact passage of time, but the transition from screaming pain to a dull ache to numbness in her thighs was better than a clock.

In the loose haze between alertness and the siren call of sleep, her mind began to wander to the familiar face she’d seen that afternoon. Of course, it couldn’t possibly have been Will. She hadn’t seen him in ten years. She probably wouldn’t recognize him even if they sat face-to-face. The man had just resembled him. Dark brown hair and a jaw chiseled into a blunt point. From that distance, she’d only gotten the impression of dark eyes that probably bore no resemblance to the milk-chocolate ones she remembered. And the man who’d entered the compound today had worn a very dark, very handsome five-o’clock shadow. Will had never been able to grow much facial hair.

Well, eighteen-year-old Will hadn’t, anyway.

A gentle thud against the door sent her heart into overdrive, all traces of sleep tossed aside. She leaned forward, her grip on the wrench sending spasms through her fingers. Taking a shaky breath, she blinked into the darkness as the telltale rattle of a doorknob sounded. The inside lock held. But for how long?

A shadow briefly blocked the light seeping beneath the door, the feet there moving soundlessly.

She gasped for breath, the heavy, humid air like a wet towel draped across her nose and mouth.

It was now or never. She could wait for the man to enter, to investigate the room and find her in the corner. Or she could face him with the element of surprise.

She scrambled toward the entrance, the sound of her shuffling feet echoing against the cinder blocks no matter how she tried to muffle her steps.

A hiccup surprised her, and she slapped her palm over her mouth to mute the obnoxious noise.

The lock clicked, and she held her breath as she slipped behind the door, painfully swallowing another hiccup. The sound of her pounding heart seemed to fill the room as the flimsy wooden slats swung open, leaving a narrow beam from the courtyard security light spilling across the floor. The shadow of a broad man filled the gap. His movements silent, his motions sure, he closed the door after stepping inside.

This was her only chance. Her only hope of protecting herself.

If Jess could fight him off now, maybe word would spread that she wasn’t to be trifled with.

The wrench weighed more than a school bus, and was almost as unwieldy, as she swung it toward his head. She had to knock him out, or at least to the ground. Then maybe she could even make a run for it.

Just before the metal connected with the barely visible outline of his skull, he ducked and lifted an arm. The tool glanced off his shoulder, grazing his neck. In a flash he grabbed it, and before she could let go, he jerked it behind her back, leaving her arm twisted and useless. Fire screamed up to her kinked shoulder.

He promptly cut off her shriek with a callused hand clamped over her mouth. His steely arm pinned hers to her side and pressed her body against his chest. She writhed and shook, trying to free herself, but the wall of muscle at her back didn’t even seem to register her struggle. Her frantic effort only made her lungs burn for the oxygen he was depriving her of.

When her head began spinning in earnest, her muscles went limp and her fight ebbed away.

Only then did she realize that the man was speaking softly in her ear, his whispered breath fanning the trembling muscles of her neck.

“Jess, calm down. I won’t hurt you.” The words made no sense to her muddled brain, but they continued, quiet and assured. “Don’t scream. It’s all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

It wasn’t the words that made her sink into him, but the voice that, even after all this time, she’d recognize anywhere. Her eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on her that afternoon. Will Gumble was in this compound. In her very room.

He must have sensed her acquiescence. He slowly loosened his hand from over her mouth and rested it on her upper arm. His firm grip was the only thing that kept her standing.

“What are you—” Her words were little more than a frantic sigh as he spun her around. Pressing one finger to his lips, he raised his eyebrows and nodded toward the only other door in the room.

He didn’t wait for her to agree, just steered her toward the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

She yanked on the string above the sink, and the naked bulb over the cloudy mirror burst to life, bathing them in its yellow glow. Jess blinked against the sudden brightness.

Will didn’t seem to have the same trouble. He immediately lifted the lid off the toilet tank and peered inside before running his hands under the white porcelain sink. With a finger he swiped around the edge of the mirror. Then he leaned forward until her nose was almost pressed to his chest, and he swiped his hand over the top of the door frame.

He pulled back and nodded, as if satisfied. “It’s clear. There may be bugs in your room, so we should never talk in there. But this should be safe for now.”

Scrambling to catch up to his train of thought, Jess surveyed the sink and mirror. How could he act so casual? As if it hadn’t been ten years since they’d spoken? As if he hadn’t just shown up in a foreign country where she was being held prisoner? As if the very sight of him didn’t make her knees weak with relief?

“I thought I saw you—I thought that was you, but...” Her words were little more than a whisper despite his assurance that it was safe to speak. Her stomach pitched, fear and relief mingling with alarm and the echo of a remembered betrayal. But dealing with her emotions would have to wait until she felt steadier on her feet. Exhaustion and the ebbing of her fight-or-flight adrenaline rush had left her legs like jelly. She leaned into Will. He held out his arms, as though he knew just what she needed. As though he was still someone who cared about taking care of her, being there for her.

But she didn’t want him holding her. She wanted answers. She wanted to understand what on earth was happening. Most of all, she wanted to silence the little voice in her head that kept saying Will’s appearance was simply a dream or hallucination.

Yanking herself upright at the last possible moment, she shoved his chest with both hands. “You scared me to death! Why did you break into my room? What are you doing here?”

His lopsided grin had always started with a little quirk to the left before spreading across his mouth. And that hadn’t changed, even as he looked down at the tiny black-and-white-checkered floor tiles.

He scraped his fingers over the black whiskers covering his chin. “Your dad sent me.”

“My dad?”

“Well, I couldn’t say no to my new XO, could I?”

“So you’re still in the navy?” Oh, she sounded bitter—so much more bitter than she wanted to. Why couldn’t her words be flippant and nonchalant, as if it didn’t really matter that she no longer knew even the most basic things about him? He’d popped back into her life, and she didn’t want it to matter.

But it did.

Maybe because of the extreme situation.

Sure. She’d just keep telling herself that.

His smile flickered for a moment before he nodded slowly. “I am.”

Forcing a chuckle, she said, “I figured when my dad realized I was missing, he’d send a SEAL team to bring me home.” At least she had hoped he’d do that.

“Not a full team—he just sent one.”

Her breath vanished, and she blinked twice.

Will Gumble had become a SEAL. An elite warrior. The best that the United States military offered.

What else didn’t she know about him?

* * *

Will crossed his arms over his chest. Anything to keep from reaching out for Jess again. From being rejected again.

But he couldn’t pull his gaze from her face, all smooth lines and fair skin, except for the dark bags below her bloodshot eyes. Those were both probably recent additions. Most people couldn’t sleep much under this kind of stress. Just because he’d been trained to survive for days on catnaps didn’t mean Jess would look refreshed doing the same.

Her hair brushed across her forehead and her eyebrows pulled together, leaving three vertical lines in the center.

“Where’s the rest of your team?”

“Stateside.”

With stilted movements, she crossed her arms, matching his stance. Her gaze swept from his head to his toes and back again, her eyes shifting from pale green to the color of the sea in a typhoon. The scrutiny made him feel like a kid who’d been called into the principal’s office.

He resisted the sudden urge to flex his arms against the seams in the sport coat to remind her that he wasn’t a boy any longer. This wasn’t about how much either one of them had changed. This was about getting her—and her bioweapon—back to San Diego. Back to a lab where they would both be secure.

“Why’d you come alone? Don’t you usually stick together?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Usually. But this isn’t exactly an authorized op.”

The corners of her mouth turned down, confusion washing across her features. “What does that mean?”

“I’m...freelancing.”

“So my dad just asked you to rescue me, even though we haven’t seen each other since we were eighteen? He asked you to drop everything and come to...to—” she waved her hand toward the yellowing walls “—wherever we are?” She paused, staring hard into his eyes. “And you did?”

For the first time in years, he didn’t know what to say, so he spit out the only word that came to mind. “Panama.”

“What?”

“We’re in Panama.”

She clenched her slightly crooked teeth and shook her head, long brown locks falling over her shoulders. “That’s not— I didn’t mean... We’re in Panama? No, that’s not what... Why are you here?” Her words were a jumbled mess, and ended in a weary sigh. Not harsh, just confused.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how to answer. But she deserved something more than a pat response. Taking a deep breath, he let it out through his nose before offering her what he hoped was a white-flag smile. “We were friends once. You meant a lot to me.”

“But you disappeared. You never called or responded to my emails or even came back to visit. I had to find out from your mom that you’d joined the navy.” Her voice picked up volume as memories seemed to fuel her ire, and he pressed a finger to his lips. She immediately dropped her volume, but she couldn’t hide the vibrato of her voice. “You left, and suddenly you’re back when I need someone the most? I don’t understand.” Her hands shook and her eyes glistened as her emotions jumped to the forefront.

True. Everything she’d said was true, but this wasn’t the time to rehash his immature stupidity. They needed to make a plan, but he had a feeling she was too exhausted to think tactically. That was fine—he needed at least a day to get the lay of the land, anyway. And meanwhile, she needed sleep and to know she was safe enough to truly give in to it.

“Jess, I’m sorry. You’re right. I do owe you an explanation. But maybe that can wait. For now, can you trust me enough to believe that I will find a way to get you out of here?”

“And the Morsyni powder?”

“Yes. I’ll get you both out.”

The features of her face were still pinched as she pointed toward the outside wall. “How? You can’t exactly climb over that fence. And there are guards everywhere. How are you going to get us out of here?”

“I’m not sure yet. But I’ll come up with something. Just give me some time.”

Her eyes grew wide. “We don’t have time. I don’t know what they’re planning to do with the toxin, but it’s going to happen soon. All day my guard has been muttering to himself that he only has to deal with me for eight more days. I think they brought me here to release the Morsyni. What if they get impatient? What if we don’t even have that long?”

A slow grin spread across his face, and she stopped her frantic speech. “What are you smiling about?” she demanded.

“Nothing.” But it wasn’t nothing. Jess had said we. She was going to stick with him. She trusted him enough to think of them as a team. And the rest of the trust he had to earn back...well, that would come with time. “I will find a way out, all right? And until then, I’m going to be by your side as much as possible. You just have to pretend that you don’t know me.”

She uncrossed her arms and leaned against the sink, her palms resting on the lip of porcelain. It looked as if it took all of her strength to stay on her feet. “Why?”

“The powers that be inside this drug cartel think they brought me here to help you release a bioweapon. They think I’m an engineer.”

“But you’re not, are you? What do you know about science?”

“About as much as I picked up in our sophomore-year chemistry class.”

“So why do they think you can help me?” She squinted, the turning cogs in her mind nearly visible beneath the fair skin of her forehead.

“A friend of mine in the DEA used one of her undercover contacts to spread my name—well, the name William Darrow—around as an expert on Morsyni, and this cartel took the bait. They hauled me in—just like they did you.”

She blinked fast, pressing a palm against her forehead and swaying slightly. It was a lot of information to take in at one time. A lot to think about on severely limited sleep. He got that. “So we don’t know each other,” she finally said.

“Right. They’re going to drag me to your lab tomorrow and introduce us. I need you to act like you’ve never met me before in your life.”

“All right.”

He rubbed his palm up and down her arm, either to steady her swaying form or to see if this time she’d accept his touch, his comfort.

Definitely the first.

Probably.

No, it had to be the first because there could never be anything more than friendship between them.

“We’ve got to stay under the radar and keep the guards off our scent,” he said. “Can you help me maintain my cover until we get out of the country?”

“Panama.” Her tongue slurred the word, her eyes squinting into the space over his left shoulder.

“Right.” With a gentle hand, he held on to her elbow, keeping her upright. Some of the tension in her face eased, and she leaned toward him slightly. “You need to get some sleep,” he said. “Tomorrow we’ll try to work out a plan.”

“What kind of plan?”

Will glanced toward the ceiling, hoping to find answers there. But all he discovered were big patches of green mold marring the once white tiles. For a multimillion-dollar drug lord, whoever was running this cartel sure had let his compound fall into disrepair.

“Probably something like tonight. I’ll break into your room and we’ll get out of here.” He rubbed his shoulder, which would have a bruise the next day. In a lighter tone, he added, “Maybe next time try not to hit me with your wrench.”

The teasing was lost on her, but she nodded.

“Listen, when we leave here, I need you to have the strength to run and the presence of mind to think on your feet. This sleepwalking bit you’re pulling isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to get some rest.”

Her eyes flew wide open, her head whipping from side to side. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he recognized his stupidity. She’d been waiting for him, weapon in hand, when he’d crept into her room. She had been prepared for anyone.

Because it might not be him sneaking into her room.

His stomach rolled at the thought, bile rising in the back of his throat.

He squinted at her, trying to guess what she’d endured at the hands of these monsters. Her guard had laughed at her when she’d fallen into the mud that afternoon. How much worse had it been? Will tightened his grip on her elbow, but she didn’t shy away, instead leaning more heavily against him. “Have you been— Has there been—” Words failed him at first, but he pushed on. “Has someone else come in here?”

She gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. “Not yet.” Her voice had barely enough force to reach his ears.

A rock fell in his gut, thudding heavily. “But they’ve threatened to?”

“It’s more the leers and foul gestures. And the noises late at night. You know what I mean?”

He nodded because he didn’t want to hear the tremble in her voice for another second. Some men—twisted men—took pleasure in frightening and harming women.

Those men made Will sick.

Others were just too self-centered to notice a woman’s discomfort in the face of crudeness.

And Will knew a thing or two about the latter. At some point in history, sailors had earned a reputation for language and conduct unbecoming of gentlemen. And there was still a group of them determined to carry on that tradition. He’d even been one of them when he’d first joined up. Too arrogant to recognize his own impudence.

But that was before he’d met L. T. Sawyer, Rock Waterstone, Jordan Somerton and the other men of SEAL Team Fifteen. Before he’d joined their ranks.

Will wasn’t that cocky boy any longer. And he would do whatever it took to protect Jess.

Stabbing his fingers through his hair, he snatched several quick breaths. His pulse slowed to almost normal when he closed his eyes and forced himself not to think about Jess in jeopardy.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to make sure that you’re safe. Every night.”

Drooping eyelids lifted with hope, but uncertainty still masked her face. “How?” she asked.

“I’ll be right outside your door from midnight until the first movement in the morning. I won’t let anyone near you.”

She wanted to believe him. He could see it in her eyes.

But she wouldn’t forget that he’d once let her down. That he’d once promised to come back and hadn’t followed through.

How could he convince her that he wouldn’t do that again?

Cupping her cheek with his palm, he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. “I never stopped being your friend. I just didn’t know how to be your best friend when everything was changing. But I swear to you, I’ll be here to protect you until you’re safely back in San Diego. In time for Christmas. All right?”

She swallowed, her head lowering and lifting slowly.

It was all he needed before he turned off the light and whisked her back into her bedroom. She fell onto the mattress, her head landing on a thin pillow. By the time he pulled a threadbare blanket to her shoulders, her breathing had already slowed.

“How’s Sal?”

Her voice caught him halfway to the door, but it was what she said that stopped him short. A fist around his throat choked his response, and he had to cough before he could even whisper. “He’s fine. He misses you, I think. But he’s fine.”

“Is he married?”

The fingers around Will’s neck squeezed even tighter, until his response was little more than a breath. “No.” He didn’t expound. Couldn’t manage to tell her that his brother was still hung up on her after all these years.

Instead he closed the door behind him and slipped around the side of the small building. Tucked in the shadows, out of sight of the guards standing sentry over the compound walls, he squatted, ready to wait the night through. At least he’d have some time to formulate a plan to keep a madman from releasing the deadly bioweapon. Right now the best option looked as if it would involve some kind of escape.

But Will wouldn’t be able to walk Jess out the front gate. And they had to get away without the extraction services of the United States Navy. There was a lot of land between them and the American Embassy in Panama City. A lot of cartel-controlled land.

This was a foolhardy idea.

And there was nothing he’d rather do.