Chapter Nine

Blaze took a swallow of his coffee and set the cup down on the scarred table. After having cruised the streets carefully for almost two hours, they’d decided they needed to get out of sight of the checkpoints, of which there were a shitload. All the soldiers had communications devices and he was pretty damn sure that if they showed up on too many radars too many times, they’d have a problem. They especially didn’t want the so-called soldiers seeing the faces of the Galaxy men over and over again.

Deciding they needed to get off the road, Ed had taken them to an old coffee bar that stayed open very late and wasn’t really on the tourist scene. But, he told them, it did serve the best coffee on the island. Even at that very late hour, the place was crowded, but they’d managed to find a table in a corner, which was ideal for them. Plus no one seemed to be paying attention, a welcome change from the soldiers at the checkpoints who were scrutinizing the people in every vehicle and even questioning some of them. Smartly, they’d backed away from each station before the guards could lay eyes on them.

Once they were seated, Blaze looked at the man who was taking all these chances helping them.

“What if Barrera’s men see you driving around with three strangers in this car?” he asked. “You’ll be in a shitpile of trouble.”

Ed shook his head. “Maybe if it was a night when there wasn’t something else happening. Something that drew his focus. Plus, neither he nor his asshole-sucking lieutenant, Ruben Vidal, are anywhere to be seen. That means something else is going on, something very important, that’s taking them away from this.”

Viper lifted an eyebrow. “What do you think it might be?”

Ed shrugged. “If I had to guess, it’s either one of their major customers or a new one with a big order.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Anyway, I’ve gone out of my way to present myself as unremarkable to the general. I play the role he expects—a possible alcoholic bum who runs a little bar and takes people fishing. I never give him a problem, he always gets a decent catch when I take him out and I don’t do anything to annoy him. I even take his customers out for daytrips. I’m so unexceptional they treat me like a part of the boat. And his men sitting at checkpoints look at me the same way, I’m sure. However…”

He let the word trail off.

“Right. However.” Eagle gave a soft laugh. “If he only knew that invisibility and the ability to blend into your surroundings were what made you so very valuable to our SEAL team. These guys have absolutely no idea how effective you can be and how much information you can obtain that way.”

“And lucky for us.” Viper touched his beer glass to Ed’s. “‘Thanks seems too small a word for what you’re doing.”

“Wait until we get Mallory Kane out of here safely along with all of you. Then you can give me a big thank you and I won’t even object.”

Blaze leaned forward. “So what do we do now?”

“Now we need to figure out a way to sneak the Albados out of their house before Barrera can pull his big show tomorrow. And that won’t be easy.”

“Is there a way we can reach them tonight and get them into hiding, at least for the time being?”

“Let’s make sure they’re where we think they are,” Ed told him, “then figure out what to do.”

He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number.

Blaze glanced over at Eagle. “Does he have the whole country on speed dial?”

Eagle snorted. “Seems like, it, doesn’t it?”

They waited while Ed spoke quietly into his phone, disconnected and made two more calls before putting the phone back in his pocket.

“Okay. Here’s the deal. Inez’s parents are still at Casa Valentina, a very homey neighborhood restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and great food. They met friends for a later dinner and they are now having coffee and dawdling over desert. I’m guessing they’re enjoying the change from the stress that’s been consuming them since Mallory had to start hiding in their attic.”

“We need to get them out of there,” Eagle said, “but how and where? Then we have to get them away from Santa Marita under Barrera’s nose.”

Ed took a swallow of his coffee. “Yes. Okay. First, we need to scope out the restaurant and see if any of Barrera’s men are around there. My guess is he knows where the Albados are tonight and thinks they’re too stupid or weak to be a problem as long as they’re with friends. He’s looking forward to squashing them like a bug. Their destruction will be his satisfaction if he can’t get his hands on Mallory.”

“And where’s Inez?” Eagle asked. “Is she out somewhere, too?”

“She’s spending the night with her current boyfriend, Diego Flores.”

Viper chuckled. “Remind me never to try keeping secrets when you’re around.”

Eagle nodded. “You know it, man. He could work for the CIA.”

Ed gave a fake shudder. “Not in a million years. Government agencies and I don’t get along too well.”

“And don’t ask him why,” Eagle added.

“No problem. But what’s our first move? We have to get the Albados out of danger before the raid scheduled for tomorrow night.”

“We can’t do it tonight,” Ed pointed out, “or Barrera will think something’s up for sure. Using the boat for any of this is out. Barrera’s got his thugs checking every single point of egress from all of Santa Marita so he can get his hands on Mallory. So let’s look at other options. Our first priority is figuring out how to get Mallory and Rocket off this island unobserved.”

“And you’re sure people who see us won’t wonder who you’re driving around with?” Viper asked.

Ed shook his head. “I hang out here sometimes after I fish with one of Barrera’s fishing trips, or a little jaunt he has me take some of his friends on. The reason I didn’t want to plug you into that same process is that you guys look like you could eliminate a whole country without breaking a sweat. Sorry, but it is what it is. That’s not what my usual clientele is, and I didn’t want to take a chance. For one night, though, we’ll manage. We’ll just avoid places where we’d attract attention.”

“Can’t be good for business if they go after visitors.”

“Sometimes I think they just don’t care about it,” Ed told him. “As long as their drug business is healthy and they control life on the island, what do they have to worry about?”

“Someone else coming in and pulling the same kind of coup Barrera did?” Viper suggested.

Ed’s mouth curved in a slow grin. “Good point. If only.”

“I hate to say this,” Blake put in, “but we may have to do it in order to get all of us out.”

Viper frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s possible we need to create one extraction plan for Mallory and Rocket and another for the rest of us. Moving a crowd of people might be too complex.”

Eagle nodded. “We’ve had to do that before, so I agree.”

“Let’s make plans for it but hope we don’t have to use them,” Ed chimed in. “I’d be a lot happier getting everyone out in one package. Okay, let’s finish up here and go someplace where we’re alone to figure this out. But first we should do some reconnoitering again.” He looked from one to the other. “But carefully.”

“Hey.” Eagle winked at him. “Careful’s our middle name.”

 

* * * *

 

Bruno Elizondo was a man hardly anyone ever noticed. In some ways, that was bad. He was never on anyone’s radar when good stuff happened. After five years, he was still a lowly private in Felix Barrera’s army and no one ever brought his name up to El Jefe for promotion and special assignment. He was always given the lowest, most menial tasks and he’d had only had one increase in his pay.

But it also meant that his invisibility was an asset. He could observe things and overhear things without anyone even aware he was doing it. Blending into the color of the walls had its distinct advantages.

For one thing, as the inconsequential driver who fetched Barrera’s whores, he had collected quite a notebook on El Jefe’s sordid sex life. He had even, on occasion, had to dispose of a body or two, someone who had provoked the man’s uncontrollable rage.

He washed and maintained the general’s vehicles, and it was amazing what kind of things the man left lying around. Money, which Bruno stuffed into his own pockets to subsidize his own meager wages. A couple of times, one of the expensive, made-to-order hand-rolled cigars. Women’s panties. Once even a tiny plastic baggie of coke, that he’d sold for what to him was a substantial sum.

And when he was pressed into service as a houseboy, he overheard conversations that he knew people would pay much money for if he ever had the guts to try to sell them.

But tonight, he was sure he had hit the jackpot. Tonight’s menial job had him doing coffee runs, one after the other, to what that asshole Barrera called the real soldiers, who were busy mounting checkpoints around the city. Their theory was that the woman they were looking for had not been able to reach any of the outskirts like La Jungla. She had no transportation of her own. Hadn’t used any of the public ones available. And finally, could not do it without the help of someone else.

So this asinine exercise tonight was an attempt to spot a stranger—or strangers—who might be the one or ones helping her. Exactly how any of these idiots would know who that was totally escaped Bruno. Did they expect people to wear tags that said I am helping Melinda Clayton? For one thing, strangers didn’t just wander onto Santa Marita. Barrera and his men vetted every single visitor, and casual tourists didn’t come here anymore. For another, how would they even get onto the island without being seen? Barrera had every entry spot well covered.

Still, Bruno had to agree that somehow, someone or many someones had slipped through and were getting ready to sneak the Clayton woman away from Santa Marita. If he could find out who that was, perhaps Barrera would finally see his value. He had stopped into his friend Leo’s place, where he knew he could get a richly brewed cup of coffee generously laced with fine brandy.

He happened to be sitting there when four men walked in and sat at a table in the corner. He watched while Leo served them, something tickling his brain. He was sure they weren’t regular visitors to Santa Marita or he would have bumped into them now and then doing one of his many, many menial chores.

But two things made his spidey senses leap to alert. One, he had seen these same men in an old SUV turn away before hitting a few checkpoints. And two, they didn’t look like any tourists he had ever seen, or even regular fishermen. They looked like warriors of some kind. He’d seen plenty in his time and they gave him the shivers. This had to be them. He just knew it. The problem was, how did he find out who they were and where to locate them when they left the coffee bar?

He had a cheap cell phone in his pocket that he carried so his wife could get hold of him if she needed to. It didn’t have many features, but one thing it did have was a camera. He drained the last of his coffee, nodded to Leo and slipped out through the back door. Positioning himself where he was pretty sure these guys would not see him, he snapped a few pictures of the car he’d seen them driving. When they left the place, he managed to get a couple of shots of them, sliding back inside before they could notice him.

This could be the very break he was looking for.

He was sure they weren’t going into hiding anywhere, not if they were planning to get Melinda Clayton out of Santa Marita. He just had to find out where they were going from here and what they were doing. And where they had the Clayton woman stashed. Barrera had already said he was keeping the checkpoints in place through Saturday night. All Bruno had to do was find a way to monitor where the beat-up SUV was going between now and then.

He smiled to himself as he climbed into his innocuous vehicle and pulled out into the roadway. One thing he had become very good at was ferreting things out.

 

* * * *

 

Mallory came awake slowly, blinking as she became aware of the warm, naked male body next to her. At once, everything that had happened in the preceding hours popped back into her mind. The past five years disappeared like a cloud of smoke, the connection hot and strong. And God! The sex had been off the charts. If it weren’t for the extreme danger like a third person in the room, it would have been close to perfect. She stroked a hand up and down Rocket’s arm, loving the feel of him beneath her touch.

“Morning.”

His voice had that early morning huskiness to it.

“Morning to you, too.”

He rolled over and cradled her face in his palms.

“I’m never letting you get away from me again,” he promised.

“Good. Because I’m all for that, too.”

“I just—” He stopped and blew out a breath. “For whatever reason, I had it in my head that if I had a relationship, it would distract me from my work.”

“Even though I’m sure you saw other SEALs in long-term situations?”

“Even though. And I saw just as many that didn’t last.” He traced the line of her jaw with the tip of a finger. “But lately I’ve seen two of my partners commit to relationships and they seem better than ever. I decided I needed to stop being such an asshole. Your sister calling me gave me the chance to see if I could correct the biggest mistake I’d ever made.”

He peeked out through the slats of the shutters covering the windows. “It’s beautiful out there. How about a walk to the waterfall and an early morning shower?”

“I’d like that. Then we can scrounge for breakfast.”

She grinned. “Works for me.”

They dug around through all the displays and found, amazingly enough, toothbrushes, and they shared a bottle of water to handle brushing their teeth.

“We can figure out how to do breakfast when we come back.”

In minutes they had climbed down the ladder and headed toward the sound of the cascading water.

The walk to the waterfall was somewhat complicated, since there was no real pathway and all the overgrown bushes and trees presented one obstacle after another. They also had to navigate and avoid the wildlife endemic to La Jungla. The word was that jaguars had long since disappeared, hunted to extinction, but there were red howler monkeys—which made a horrendous screeching sound—squirrel monkeys, anteaters and tapirs. They both brought their weapons with them, just in case.

Nevertheless, Mallory had to admit it was worth it. When they finally broke through into an opening, she could only stand there for a moment and stare. What she saw was like an entrance into a magic world. Directly ahead of them, a thick waterfall cascaded down over a massive wall of rock, the sound of it thundering in the air. The water dropped into a pool it had carved out from the rock at the bottom, and around it grew more tropical plants than she had ever seen. Vibrant colors—red, orange, royal purples, azure blue—were scattered in and among the thick, wild, low border of greenery.

Mallory just stood there for watching a long moment, mesmerized. “It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.

“It is indeed,” Rocket agreed.

“You could almost forget all the bitter viciousness out there when you’re standing here.” She reached for Rocket’s hand, grounded by the touch of it. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just shut out the rest of the world and stay here?”

He laughed. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Let’s take off our shoes. Look, there’s this nice big flat rock here that we can set them on and they won’t get wet or knocked into the pool. As if it was made for this. Maybe nature created our own special place for us,” she teased.

“Maybe.” He grinned. “Anything is possible.” He set both pairs of shoes on the rock then pulled her into his arms. “I think we should put our clothes there, too.”

“Are we going to take a shower in the waterfall? I’ve never done that before.”

“Good. I want you to have a lot of firsts with me.”

She studied the look on his face. “What are we doing, Rocket?”

“We’re going to shower in a waterfall, near as I can tell.”

“No, I mean, what are we doing? We don’t see each other for five years, not even a text or phone call. Then life throws us together again and it’s like we have this major thing going.”

He brushed his mouth over hers. “Major thing, huh? Well, I’ll tell you this. The dumbest thing I did was staying away from you all this time. And I can’t even give you a really good reason why I did it.”

“You were busy being a SEAL,” she reminded him. “Then getting ready to do…whatever it is you do now. I understand. I wasn’t much better. When my first couple of books unexpectedly became such hits, I was like an addict with a stash of coke waiting for me.”

“Not to mention being an adrenaline junkie,” he teased.

“I could say the same for you.” She nipped his chin. “You didn’t exactly settle for a nine-to-five job when you left the SEALs.”

“So we both ignored the possibility that something good might be waiting for us.” His eyes burned into hers. “I think most of the blame for that falls on me. Isn’t the guy supposed to do the pursuing?”

“Only if you believe in antiquated practices.” She brushed her mouth against his. “We have so much to catch up on. Let’s not waste any time with regrets.”

“I can buy into that. I’m sorry I’ve been such a stupid shithead and wasted so much time. We have a lot to make up for.”

“Then we should probably get started.”

She wanted to hear about every one of those five years. Wanted to ask him how he and his friends had come to form Galaxy. Did he like what he was doing? Like living in Tampa? Was he involved with another woman?

No!

No, she could answer that question herself. If he were, he wouldn’t be involving himself with her. That was not who he was.

They placed their guns in their holsters on top of their shoes on the flat rock, which was dry and easily accessible. Then Rocket added the satellite phone he’d brought with him, placing it next to his gun. Before Mallory could think any more, she tugged her T-shirt over her head and dropped it to the side on top of the shoes. No bra. She’d left that in the hut, along with her panties. Next came the shorts, which she tossed onto the pile.

“I think you’re overdressed, mister,” she teased.

“First let me say one thing.” He cradled her head in his palms, the look in his eyes both heated and serious. “I’ll be kicking myself forever for letting five years go by because I refused to admit that I’d let the best thing that happened to me walk out of my life.”

“But you’re admitting it now, and so am I. My crazy streak of getting into dangerous situations worked in my favor for once, because it brought us together again.” She searched his eyes, trying to read his expression. “Just tell me we’re not going to walk away again and I’m good.”

“We’re not. Neither of us. Maybe it was good things happened this way, because I got to see two of my partners fall in love and settle into relationships. I saw first-hand that it can work. And as soon as we get you out of here, you and I are going to make some plans. Sound good to you?”

“Yes. It does. But you’re still overdressed.”

Then he got rid of the jeans he’d tugged on, having left his shirt and shorts in the hut, then pulled her against his body. She could feel every muscle and ridge, including the thick, swollen length of his cock that pressed hard against her stomach.

“Let’s get into the waterfall. I’ve never stood in a waterfall with a naked woman.”

She grinned and held out her hand to him. “Lead on.”

They picked their way around the heavy curtain of water as it thundered down to the ground until they reached a level spot behind the cascade itself. Mallory felt as if they were enclosed in a glass dome, a private cocoon, with all the world locked out. When Rocket turned and pulled her against him, she tipped up her head, ready for him, and greedily fell into the kiss.

His tongue was wild in her mouth, sweeping everywhere, tasting everything. Licking every surface. She dueled her own tongue with his, loving the slick taste of him, every nerve ending in her body firing. He slid his hand down her back, stroking her spine, and when he came to her ass, he cupped one cheek and pressed her body hard against his. She could feel the long, solid length of his swollen cock against her mound and rubbed herself back and forth against it.

He lifted his head, his breathing uneven.

“I don’t have any condoms with me and I…”

“I’m safe,” she told him, breathless. “And I haven’t been with anyone since—”

She shut her mouth. How could she even tell him that?

He stared at her. “Are you telling me you haven’t been with anyone since Afghanistan?”

She looked down at her bare feet, standing on the slick granite with the cool water running over them. Would he look at her differently? Maybe lose his desire at the thought no man had wanted her for five years? But that wasn’t the truth. She hadn’t wanted them. It had been her choice, just as it was now. She rested her head on his shoulder, still looking down at her feet, while she waited for him to say something.

He wound the length of her damp hair around his hand and gently tipped her head back.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

She opened her eyes to stare at him and saw so many emotions swimming in his that it stole her breath.

“I am.”

“Are you telling me for real you haven’t been with anyone in the past five years? Not even once?”

She managed a little smile. “Well, there’s Henry.”

“Henry?” He almost shouted the name. “Who the fuck is Henry?”

She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling.

“Well, he’s eight inches long, dark purple and runs on two batteries.”

For a moment she thought he was going to step away from her. Then he threw back his head and laughed so hard that his shoulders shook.

“Well,” he said at last when he could catch his breath, “my ego has certainly expanded if you’re telling me our time together spoiled you for other men.”

“It was you that spoiled me,” she told him. “Every other man I met seemed so…shallow. And after a while, it hardly seemed worth the trouble.”

“Jesus, Mallory.” He blew out a breath. “If you’d told me that, I would have made an effort to do much better last night.”

“You did just fine. So fine, in fact, that I’d like a repeat performance.”

“If you want it here, it’s gonna be a lot quicker and with a lot less finesse,” he warned her.

“That suits me. In fact, it’ll suit me a lot better if you get to it.”

He laughed again, but then the laughter was replaced by the heat in his eyes. He skimmed his hand between her thighs and slid two fingers into her hot, waiting sex.

“Jesus, Mallory. You are so ready. Just from touching each other?”

She nodded. “So get to it.”

He knelt on the granite between the fall of water and the wall of stone, spread her lips with his fingers and proceeded to lick every inch of her sex. She dug her fingers into his shoulders to steady herself while he ate at her core, the flick of his tongue sending shivers racing through her body. She rocked against the pressure of his mouth, moaning with the pleasure of it. Then—

“Stop.” She had trouble getting the word out.

He froze and looked up at her. “What the fuck, Mallory? What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong is this is the second time you’ve given me so much to me and I haven’t returned the favor.”

She was shivering as pleasure still coursed through her and her body demanded release.

Rocket cupped her face in his palms.

“Listen to me. This isn’t a tit-for-tat kind of thing. I get just as much pleasure from using my mouth on you as I do from being on the receiving end. I love that I can make you tremble with pleasure just by using my tongue, not to mention that you taste incredible.”

“But…”

“No buts. Plus I’m not shy about asking, But, Mallory? There will be no more walking away from each other. We’re going to have a lot of years together, to enjoy every single thing together. Besides, I’m so fucking hard right now that even one sweep of your tongue could finish me off.” He grinned. “So shut up and let me enjoy myself.”

“Okay. Yes. Okay.”

Then get back to it, she wanted to shout.

But it was obvious he needed no urging. He knelt again, thrust two fingers into her slick flesh and began to work her clit with his tongue. As aroused as she was, it took only seconds before an orgasm rushed up through her body. Throwing her head back, she braced herself and gave in to the spasms.

Her body was still quaking when he lifted her, turned so her back was against the wall of rock and thrust his cock deep inside her in one swift, hard movement.

His thickness filling every inch of her—his naked thickness—set off her body again, and the orgasm that had never quite finished demanded to be let loose again.

He clutched her ass with both hands, digging his fingers into the soft flesh, and began to pump into her as if his life depended on it. She grabbed his biceps, riding the length of his cock as he drove in and out of her with ferocity, as if he’d never be able to do this again.

“Hope you’re ready,” he said through gritted teeth, “because I can’t hold out much longer.

“I am,” she gasped, hardly getting the words out, digging her heels into the small of his back. “Do it.”

The words had barely left her mouth before he gave one last thrust into her and the orgasm grabbed both of them. She closed her eyes as his cock spasmed and her inner walls pulsed. She had no idea how long it went on, just let herself fall into the incredible pleasure. Finally it slowed and at last halted. The walls of her sex squeezed his dick, wringing the last drop from it.

Rocket dipped his head and leaned it on her shoulder for a moment. The heavy beat of his heart pounded in time with hers. They stayed in that same position until she lowered her legs and leaned her body into his for support.

Rocket brushed a soft kiss over her mouth.

“Wow. Just wow.”

She managed a grin. “Sometimes short is best, you know?”

“After that, how can I argue?”

“Shouldn’t we feel guilty doing this while everyone else is out there trying to save our asses?”

“Yeah.” But he grinned. “I’ll feel guilty as soon as we’re done here.”

Just as he cupped her cheeks and tilted her head up for another kiss, the sat phone rang. He walked over to where he’d set it in his shoe and picked it up.

“I hope you have good news.” He paused. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh.” There came another pause. “Okay, we’re good for the time being, but we gotta get the fuck out of here. Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”

“Well?” She was anxious to hear what was said.

“The team had a couple of options to get us away from here. They’re working on it and will keep in touch. Meanwhile, we’re to stay put.”

“I trust your guys,” she told him. “Meanwhile, we can shut out the world for a while.”

“How about a nice cool shower?” Rocket asked. “Then a walk back to our deluxe accommodations and some breakfast.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“And, Mal?”

“Yes?”

“We will get out of here and start a life together. I’m not making the same idiotic mistake twice.”

She hooked her arm through his.

“If you say so, I believe it.”

“Good. Keep believing.”