Havoc began wiring up Beth. No way was he weighing in on that argument. Zach was ready to snap someone’s head off, and he preferred it not to be his. As he threaded the wire, thinking there was indeed trouble in paradise, it snagged in her bra. Damn, he should have been paying attention.
“Sorry, love, I, ah, just need to, ahh…” He fumbled without success trying to free the wire from her flimsy garment.
“Havoc, just do what you have to and get on with it.”
“Okay then. Right.” He took a breath and flexed his fingers. Her chest rose and fell as she waited for him to make a move, but still he hesitated, twitchy at being this close and personal with Wolf’s woman. He could feel his face heat.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just I have to get this very delicate wire unsnagged without damaging it and…”
“And what?”
“And it’s caught inside your bra.”
“Oh, so you have to, ah…”
“Yes, I have to, ah…unless you want Wo…”
“No. I don’t.”
Seconds passed with neither of them making eye contact. She was emphatic Wolf was a persona non grata.
“Just get on with it, Havoc,” she snapped.
He gulped, then rubbed a hand over his mouth. He had to do it, so with awkward perseverance he slipped his fingers between her soft skin and the expensive fabric. He knew it had to be expensive—it was delicate and fragile and made her big creamy breasts look amazing. Hell, who was he kidding, her breasts would look amazing even in burlap. It was going to be tricky, though. The wire was caught in the lacework.
He tightened his lips in concentration, but when his big clumsy fingers brushed her nipple she flinched, and he felt his face smolder.
Beth reddened too and turned startled eyes on him. He was mortified.
“Sorry, love,” he blurted out, and then maneuvered the wire until it was free and eased the recalcitrant thread down through the space between her bra and skin.
“There, all done.” He breathed easy, and stepping back, brushed his hands together.
“Thanks.”
Hawk cleared his throat.
Havoc spun on his heel, and looked over to where Hawk was standing wearing a smug grin. Their gazes collided. He raised an eyebrow and Hawk winked. Damn the kid.
Beth had turned in Hawk’s direction too. Her eyes widened, scanning the area. Wolf was out of sight. But not out of Beth’s mind, if he was any judge. Oh, to have been a fly on their wall last night.
“Pop your shirt back on, love,” he said, holding out the cotton garment and breaking the awkward silence.
Beth threaded her arms in, and with dexterous fingers buttoned her blouse. He picked up his pack and walked over to the jeep, tossing it inside.
“Nice.” Hawk cheesy-grinned him and winked again.
Havoc thumped him in the chest with the back of his hand. “Grow up, kid.”
*
Zach appeared just in time to see Beth join Havoc and Hawk who were standing by the jeep.
“Here you go.” Hawk handed her some bread and cheese as he reached them.
“Thanks.” She took the food without further argument and selected an orange as well.
“You can eat in the car. We should make our way to the village.”
She gave him a cursory nod, but didn’t speak. Havoc slid into the driver’s seat. Hawk opened the front passenger door and she scampered in.
“Thanks, Hawk, you’re such a gentleman.”
Zach grinned at that. Hawk’s intention had been to take the front seat of course, it was the preferred option with heaps more legroom, but Zach had a sneaking suspicion she knew that.
“Ah, y-you’re welcome,” Hawk stammered, making a quick recovery, and with good humor clambered in behind her, leaving the other rear seat for him.
Great. He swallowed the disgruntled growl that rumbled up his throat as he jammed in behind Havoc. Beth moved her seat forward a few notches while he struggled to fold his long legs into the cramped space.
“Okay back there, buddy?” Havoc’s eyes crinkled with merriment as they saw him in the rearview mirror.
“Couldn’t be better.” Knees up around his chest, crammed in like a sardine, yeah, fucking brilliant.
Beth had maneuvered the seating arrangement to piss him off—and she’d succeeded. Not that he could blame her if what he was starting to suspect turned out to be true.
If she was a virgin, then he’d really fucked up last night, but he wasn’t in the headspace to contemplate that now.
The jeep bumped and lurched, eating up the miles. The farther they travelled, the more the jungle encroached upon them and the worse the potholes became. Now and then Hawk checked the crude map that accompanied the ransom note.
“How far, kid?” Havoc inquired.
“By my calculations, just under an hour.”
Shit, another hour of this. It was hot, the temperature was still climbing, but the mercury wasn’t the only thing on the rise. His temper was nudging boiling point. He wasn’t enthused on Beth going to the village alone, he was less enthused on the alternative, but what had set his teeth on edge was the carry-on from the front seat.
Havoc was belting out a couple of tunes to pass the time. He fancied himself as another Keith Urban. Hawk and he were always tormenting him over his voice and his taste in music—not so Beth. She was pouring on praise as thick as maple syrup on a waffle, and the big Aussie was lapping it up. It was enough to make Zach puke.
They must have been about four miles from the town when he snarled, “Pull over. Hawk and I’ll get out, you drive Beth up a couple of clicks and we’ll test that transmitter.”
“Righto, mate.”
Havoc shifted through the gears and slowed the vehicle. Zach unfurled his cramped legs, and Hawk and he hit the road before the wheels had stopped spinning.
“Just what I wanted, a two-mile run,” Hawk grumbled.
“Suck it up, sunshine.” Zach grunted and fiddled with his earpiece. Love lyrics, loud and clear, bounced over the airwaves, down the transmitter, and assaulted his eardrums. Damn. Havoc and Beth were now doing a duet. He shouldn’t have been irritated; it was Havoc’s way of helping Beth cope, but seriously, love songs?
“How you doing, man?” Hawk clapped him on the back as they both watched the vehicle disappear into the distance. “Won’t be long now, buddy, and you’ll have your sister back.”
“Damn straight. And when I do, I’ll tan her hide for allowing Beth to talk her into coming here and not clearing it with me first.”
“Speaking of Beth, did you see the size of her bazookas? Man, that’s one well-stacked babe. Havoc gets all the breaks. I wish it had been me diving into her D cups.”
“What are you on about?”
“You’ve got to hand it to the big Aussie, when he copped a feel it was poetry in motion. You should have seen it, he slipped his fingers into her bra, and she never even batted an eyelash, took it like it was all part of the plan. Fuck, I almost got a hard-on watching.”
Zach reacted with a swift backhand to Hawk’s chest.
“Ouch, what was that for?”
“For ogling her.”
“What am I, dead? What the fuck was I supposed to do?”
“You were supposed to give the girl some goddamn privacy.”
“Man, you’re touchy. She might be your kid sister’s friend, but that girl ain’t no kid. She’s one hot mamma with the nicest set of knockers I’ve seen in a long time, and I for one sure as hell wouldn’t mind giving her pussy a poke.”
“Zip it, will you?”
“Hey, wouldn’t it be a hoot if Beth and Havoc got it on? They’re pretty chummy, you know.”
“The wire’s working fine, so put a sock in it and let’s go.”
Zach was hostile as he took off down the road, leaving Hawk trailing behind. Where did Havoc get off putting his hands on Beth? Hawk was just a normal guy and meant nothing by checking her out, but Havoc knew he liked her. That made the touch up even more irritating. And why the hell did she let him?
He jogged along with his head full of unpleasant thoughts. As he approached the jeep parked on the side of the road, he curled his mouth into a sneer.
“How was it?” Havoc inquired, sounding too damn smug for Zach’s peace of mind.
“Like a randy tomcat caterwauling on the prowl.”
“Clear as a bell, man.” Hawk spoke over the top of him. “And when you two started singing Up Where We Belong you almost had me convinced it was ‘Cocker and Warnes’”
Beth’s lips pulled up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “An Officer and a Gentleman was one of my mom’s favorite movies. She put it on one Sunday afternoon and Loretta and I, with nothing better to do, sat down and joined her. It’s our all-time favorite golden oldie now. On rainy days we’d watch it over and over, fantasizing we were Deborah Winger, and, ooh, when Richard Gere scooped her into his arms and carried her off at the end, well, we just melted.”
“Must be a girl thing ‘cause my sisters were the same. I got so sick of it one vacation I hijacked the DVD player. The girls started screaming, throwing things, pummeling me, mom rushed in to referee, and dad boxed my ears for being so selfish. Shish, it was a train wreck.”
Havoc’s rumble exploded from deep in his belly. Zach joined in the laughter. They were both well acquainted with Hawk’s sisters. A mischievous hospitable bunch, and the pranks they played on each other were legendary—nothing was out of bounds.
“Hey, Wolf, do you remember that Christmas we spent at the Brannigan’s house?” Havoc asked, shutting the driver’s door as he got out.
“Sure I do, how could I forget?” Zach smiled, but the memory was double-edged. Loretta insisted on spending that Christmas with the old man. It was the one and only time she’d been invited. He was at a loose end, and when Mrs. Brannigan issued the invitation she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He turned to Beth. “We woke the first morning to find our jocks had been run up the flagpole. Hawk’s three sisters had raided our gear and thought it was hilarious. And it was pretty damn funny watching Hawk rant and rave about lack of respect for other people’s property.”
“It sounds like you all had a good time.”
“That wasn’t the end of it, love. Go on, mate, tell her the rest.”
“Hawk had a master plan and bided his time. Christmas Eve night he roped us in to do a bit of snow sculpting. He’d raided his sisters’ drawers earlier in preparation for the payback. When the aunts, uncles, and cousins arrived Christmas morning they were greeted by three scantily-clad snowwomen, each dressed in Victoria’s Secret bras and panties and holding a name synonymous with each of Hawk’s sisters.”
“Of course, we made the effigies short and dumpy with huge tits and arses, ah, sorry, Beth, breasts and butts. The girls were more peeved about being made to look short and squat than having their best underwear frozen solid.” Havoc finished with a grin.
“Oh, I can imagine.” Beth giggled.
“Yeah, it was kind of funny until Mom blew the ever-loving crap out of me for playing pranks on Christmas Day, and Dad said ‘It was time I grew up and stopped tormenting the girls.’ Sheesh, I never could win.”
“Yeah, but what made it funnier was Mrs. B screaming, ‘Beauregard Brannigan, I ought to box your ears.’ Heck, Havoc and I almost pissed ourselves when we realized she was talking to Hawk.”
“Beauregard?”
Hawk cleared his throat. “I go by Michael, it’s my middle name. I was named after a great-great-great-great-uncle who fought in the Civil War. Mom only calls me Beauregard when she means business. Shit, I hate that name.”
“My brothers were always…”
“Okay, enough reminiscing for one day.” Zach cut her off. He wanted her head clear for what lay ahead, not focused on the past. “The sooner you get this done, the sooner we’ll have Loretta back. You ready?”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Her voice was soft, her face a subliminal mask, unreadable except for the eyes, a mixture of hurt and fear reflected in their depths.
A lump rose up his throat, threatening to choke him. He swallowed it quickly and got down to business. “Listen, Beth, we won’t be far away. Don’t do anything stupid, just hand over the money and take Loretta straight to the jeep. Drive out the same way you drove in and we’ll be waiting. Remember, these people are poor, they didn’t ask for much, so it should just be an even swap, okay?”
She nodded and took the bag of money he handed her and tossed it onto the passenger seat.
Now that it was showtime, he was reluctant to let her go. “Just don’t take any risks,” he whispered, unable to resist stroking her arm as he opened the driver’s door for her to climb in. When she recoiled, as if his fingers had singed her skin, his heart ripped.
“You be careful, Beth, and remember you’ve got the mic so use it,” Hawk reminded her.
“You can count on it, you’ll be sick of the sound of my voice.”
“Good, we want you to keep us clued-in. Where you are, who’s around you, that sort of thing. Be discreet, but above all, if it doesn’t feel right, back off and get your tail back here.”
“But, Zach, Loretta…”
“No, Beth, hear what I’m saying. If it’s not right, then back away. I don’t want you exposed to any more danger than you already are.” He shut the door with a firm click, his stomach doing cartwheels as she slid the seat forward and gripped the wheel at ten and two.
“Relax, be natural, but keep your eyes and ears open, and remember love, we’re but a stone’s throw away.” Havoc massaged the back of his neck, the place where the fine hairs stand on end whenever something doesn’t sit right. The idea of a woman facing the enemy alone did not sit well with any of them.
“I’ll do my best.” Beth put on her brave face, tilted the mirrors and switched on the engine. “I guess this is it.”
“Good luck, love.”
“Be cool.” Hawk gave her the thumbs-up, and without a backward glance she motored down the road.
Zach prayed she’d succeed in her mission on two counts as he stared after the jeep until it was out of sight.
He rubbed his face and then pushed his fingers through his hair and did a few rapid blinks. “Right, guess we’d better press on.”