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“What the fuck just happened?” Shakespeare shook his head and came out of his sexual haze. He was on his knees. He’d been pulling Lei Lu’s shorts down her strong, curving legs. They were soft under his palms.
Her phone had gone off with an obnoxious ring tone.
Standing, he tucked his erection back in his pants. Then he remembered what she’d said. Someone was breaking into their house.
He opened the nightstand and pulled out his favorite gun. Quickly checking to be sure it was loaded; he ran down the hall. As he passed the bookshelf, he grabbed his Glock and shoved it into his pocket. His hands had been all over her body and knew Lei Lu wasn’t carrying.
Stepping into the quiet of the small hours of the night, he glanced down the street and saw nothing.
Where the hell has she gone? She couldn’t be that far ahead of me.
Staying to the shadows, he made his way toward her house. As he passed the poinsettia bush thirty feet from the house, someone grabbed his hand and yanked. He froze in place. Glancing down he saw Lei Lu with her index finger to her lips. He nodded then slid into the bush next to her. Without a word, she showed him her phone.
Three red blobs were slowly moving closer to their house. Shakespeare was impressed that she installed infrared sensors all around the rental.
Using her thumbs, she typed in: TEAM IS AWAKE. NEED 1 ALIVE.
Using sign language he’d learned as a SEAL, and hoping to hell that since she worked with the SEALs she’d learned some of their hand gestures, he indicated that he would take out the man on the far side.
She quickly signed back that he should take the one closest, covering for her as she slipped around to the far side to take out that man. Her team had agreed to allow the man approaching from the beach to make it inside where the other women would take care of him.
He nodded in the affirmative and she texted her teammates the new plan.
Shakespeare liked this idea. He could protect her and take out the asshole on that side if she were discovered. He’d make quick work of anyone who tried to hurt her, then he’d go to the far side and help with her target. If he worked fast enough, he could be done before she even encountered her man.
They watched the three red dots move closer to the house.
Lei Lu quickly typed: ANY CHANCE THESE ARE LOCAL KIDS?
Shakespeare shook his head. Oli ran a tight island. The teenage residents were more afraid of their parents’ wrath than enticed by anything they could steal from the homes in the area. No. They moved like pros.
With the touch of a button, Lei Lu changed the picture to night vision. He didn’t recognize any of the intruders.
She reached in her side pocket and handed him some zip ties. From another pocket, she pulled out a folded leather wallet. As she spread it out, she gestured to offer him small throwing knives and deadly stars.
Holy shit. Does she know how to use all of those? He answered his own question when he remembered overhearing the women talk about how many black belts she’d earned.
He decided to reciprocate and held out his Glock. She hesitated only a moment before he pulled out his Smith & Wesson forty-five caliber. She smiled as she reached for the offered gun, then quickly checked it, nodding her approval.
A text message popped up on the screen: MOVE IN
Lei Lu gave him a quick peck on his cheek before she disappeared into the night. He had a hard time keeping sight of her, but he had no problem tracking his target. He gave her thirty full seconds before he creeped up on his man who seemed totally focused on the house rather than his surroundings.
Hundreds of hours of SEAL training in every environment had taught him to be silent as a snake. As he came up behind his man, he was able to choke him out in just a minute. Flipping him over, he quickly tied his wrists and ankles. After taking off the intruder’s boots, he used his smelly socks as a gag and bootlaces to hold it in place. Although he wanted to escort the man into the house and turn him over to Lei Lu’s team, he needed to wait for the all clear.
The smack of skin on skin, low grunts, and an obvious fight taking place on the far side, Shakespeare decided to knock the guy out with a good hard punch to the side of his head. He carried the unconscious man to the front door of the house and unceremoniously dropped him.
Shakespeare needed to get to Lei Lu.
Jogging to the corner of the house, he peeked around the corner to find his woman beating the shit out of two men at the same time. Shakespeare wasn’t sure where the second man came from. Most likely he was the intruder from the beach who’d probably heard the fight and came to help his buddy.
Lei Lu was a sight to behold. Long black hair flew through the air as her body went parallel with the ground, kicking an assailant in the face, then landing on both feet, knees bent. Using the momentum, she throat punched the other man. Both fell to the ground at the same time as she took a fighting stance.
When the men didn’t move, Lei Lu pounced on the first one, her knee in the man’s back. As she quickly tied him, the other man stirred.
Shakespeare couldn’t let her be taken unaware. He was by her side in three long strides. “I’ve got this one, sweetheart.” He had the third man secured within seconds. “Let your teammates know we’ve got three down before somebody shoots me by mistake. Have them grab the guy I left at the front door.”
Lights came on in the house and Shakespeare heard doors open. A second later, three of the women came around the house from the beachside.
“We thought we’d help you carry these assholes into the house,” Nita said as she jogged toward them. She studied the bodies on the ground. “I thought for sure we’d have to find room for one of these fuckers in the morgue.”
“Good job keeping them alive,” Harper said as she picked up the nearest man’s feet and Tori got his shoulders. The man groaned as the two women carried him toward the house.
“What did you break on him?” Nita asked Lei Lu.
“Not much. This one might have a concussion. A few ribs might be broken.” Lei Lu shrugged. “I don’t think I collapsed anybody’s lungs, but you might want to check.”
Working in tandem, the two women grabbed the man’s booted feet and Shakespeare automatically picked up his shoulders. They moved rapidly and smoothly into the house where the two women dumped his feet next to the others. Following suit, he not-so-gently laid the man on the floor.
All six women stared at the three men trussed up in the middle of the living room. Almost in unison, they said, “He’s the Russian from the boat,” and pointed to the man in the middle.
“Hard or soft?” Lei Lu asked, looking directly at Katlin.
“Hard.” The chorus of female voices responded.
“Let’s get this over quick. I’m tired.” Tori walked over to the couch and sat down, folding her hands in her lap and crossing her long legs as though settling in for a show.
Katlin jogged down the hall and reappeared quickly with two cameras. She handed one to Grace. “Record the captives.”
Nita was on her knees beside the men, probing their chests. When the man hissed, she announced, “I think you’re right. At least one broken rib, but he seems to be breathing okay. They’re healthy enough for interrogation.”
Harper went over and sat next to Tori. “Do you think anybody would notice if I fell asleep here? Yesterday was a fucking long day for me.” She laid her head back on the couch and closed her eyes.
“Hard it is.” Lei Lu pulled his Glock out of her pocket and pointed it at the man’s head who had done the speaking back on Mouchoir Bank. Shakespeare had no idea what she was asking him, but the man’s eyes went wide the moment she started speaking Russian. His answer was only a few words.
“Translate please,” Tori called from the couch. “The general is going to want to know what you were saying and he’s not going to be happy if he has to wait for a translator.”
“She’s right,” Katlin agreed. “After every question, tell us in English.
“I just asked him if he recognized me.” Lei Lu’s gun never wavered. “He said yes, I was one of the American whores from the orgy boat.”
The man rolled his head toward Shakespeare and spoke as though he was supposed to understand the language. The former SEAL had no idea what had been said, so he looked to Lei Lu for explanation.
She replied for him, practically spitting her words at the man.
“Fire in the hole,” Lei Lu called out before she put a bullet three inches from the man’s head. She spoke again in his language.
The Russians on either side startled to consciousness.
Shakespeare noticed that all the women were taking their hands down from their ears. These women had obviously done this before. He regretted not covering his, as they were ringing.
“Damn, it’s already getting good.” Nita said as she made herself comfortable in an overstuffed chair.
“Translate, please, before he says anything else,” Katlin commanded.
“He asked Shakespeare if he wasn’t man enough to conduct an interrogation,” Lei Lu explained. “I told him to look at me. I was the one asking the questions. When he didn’t move his head fast enough, I needed to get his attention. After I fired my weapon, I told him to look at me and nowhere else. I’m going to ask him why they’re here.”
There was a brief exchange before Lei Lu called out once again, “Fire in the hole.” This time, Shakespeare was fast enough to get his hands cupped over his ears before she fired a bullet into the man’s thigh. Howling and hissing obvious profanities, the man squirmed like a worm. With his hands secured behind his back he couldn’t touch the wound.
Lei Lu looked into Katlin’s camera. “When I asked him why they were trying to break into our house, he said it looked like we had nice stuff they could steal and pawn. I called bullshit and told him that if he didn’t tell me the truth, I was going to shoot him. He said I wouldn’t dare because this was a British territory and I was just an American bitch. So, I shot him. I believe he knows I’m serious now.”
She looked at the man writhing on the floor, profusely bleeding. Her glance darted to Nita. “I don’t think I hit an artery. What do you think?”
“Nah, you’re good. Keep going.” The team doctor walked over to the wet bar and grabbed the bottle of vodka. “This might come in handy later.” She opened the bottle and took a hit. Smiling, she handed it to Tori.
The gorgeous woman took a swig. “This is good shit.” She passed the bottle to Harper who tilted the bottle and swallowed.
Smiling, the agent took out her phone and took a picture of the label. “We need some of this for our next party. I wonder if the PX can get it for us?” She stood and moved toward the moaning man. “Shall I?”
“Let me ask the question first.” Lei Lu then spoke to the man in Russian.
“Fuck you, bitch.” He hissed in heavily accented English between clenched teeth.
Nita threw her arms up in the air. “And he speaks English. Imagine that.”
Tori laughed. “At least he can swear in English.”
Harper leaned down, catching the man’s gaze. “Answer my friend’s question and I’ll give you a little painkiller.” She waggled the bottle. “Lie again, and I’ll introduce you to a new version of pain.”
Lei Lu repeated the question. Shakespeare had now heard it often enough he knew she was asking why they had tried to break into their house.
“Not tell you nothing.” The man said in English.
Harper shrugged. “Pain it is.” She poured the vodka over the bleeding wound.
The man howled as his body convulsed.
Harper looked at Nita. “It’s a through and through.”
With a single nod, Nita suggested, “This motherfucker isn’t going to give us anything. Time to move on to another.”
Lei Lu leaned over the man on the right, grabbed his navy-blue T-shirt by the collar and got in the man’s face. She spoke several sentences in Russian. Fear was evident in the man’s dark eyes but he repeated the same three words over and over.
“I just told him that if he didn’t want the same treatment as his friend, he’d better answer my questions. He claims he knows nothing.” Lei Lu translated before she spoke to the man once again. When she lowered her aim from the man’s head to his groin, his native language rapidly spewed from his lips.
Lei Lu smiled and took a deep breath. “When I threatened to shoot his balls off, he decided to talk. He’s from the Russian submarine which just came out of Cuba after refueling there, and by the way, it’s a nuclear sub.”
Several quiet whistles around the room joined Shakespeare’s. If he were a gambling man, he’d bet the United States didn’t know about Cuba’s nuclear capability. After tensions between the U.S. and Cuba increased back in 2019, everyone knew that the Russians had stepped in to save the small island country, once again. He, and millions of others, never would have guessed that Cuba was a refueling port for Russia’s nuclear Navy.
“Their mission was to recover the stolen viruses or destroy them.” Lei Lu cocked her head for a moment then asked the second man a quick question. He immediately answered and she translated. “The submarine surfaced and used the new laser as a test on the airplane. It was supposed to blow into pieces in midair. When it only damaged the plane, they knew they had to recover its cargo.”
Shakespeare understood Lei Lu’s next question because she asked the first man several times. Seconds later, she had her answer.
“When we left Mouchoir Bank in the middle of the night, their captain believed that we had recovered the viruses. He sent this small team here to recover them.”
Katlin set her camera on a side table and stepped in front of it as she pulled out her satellite phone. “This is above my pay grade. Time to call the brass.” She had a brief in-private conversation with someone before she looked directly at Shakespeare. “Go ahead and call Oli. The United States government would greatly appreciate if Police Commissioner Oliver Taylor will take these men into custody and hold them on charges of attempted breaking and entering and pending charges of spying. There are a whole bunch of alphabet agencies on both sides of the Atlantic that want to talk to these men.”
Shakespeare had his friend on the phone before she had finished her official speech.
“Who died?” Oli said in a sleepy voice. “Can’t this wait till morning?”
“We didn’t kill any of them. We captured all three of the Russians alive.” He looked at the men on the floor. “But there might be some broken ribs, maybe a concussion or two.”
“What the fuck?” Oli sounded wide-awake. “What the hell you talking about? Captured Russians?”
It only took Shakespeare a few minutes to bring his friend up to speed. “Oli and his detectives will be here in ten minutes.”
By the time the police reports were completed and the Russians were hauled off to jail where they would be examined by the island doctor, it was nearly sunrise. Katlin approached Shakespeare and Oli.
“I’m going to let those well-paid officials in London and Washington, D.C. figure this out.” Oli ran a hand through his messy hair. “I’m just hoping by sometime later this afternoon they’ll tell me what to do with these three men. I can hear the traveling tourist directorate already screaming about the bad press.”
Katlin shook her head. “The U.S. government isn’t pressing charges because technically they didn’t break in. If you can keep a lid on your deputies, I can guarantee you that none of our countries want this to become public knowledge.” She yawned. “I need to get some sleep. I’m so glad we’re not diving today. Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check my eyelids for light leaks.”
Shakespeare looked around, hoping to see Lei Lu. He was ready to follow Oli out the door when Katlin turned to him.
“Check the beach. She loves the sunrise.” Her smile was tired as she trudged down the hall toward the bedrooms.
“Thanks for coming over and handling this.” Shakespeare smacked Oli on the shoulder. “I didn’t want your deputies dealing with this shitstorm without you.”
Oli’s gaze scanned the empty room before their eyes met. “Things have certainly been exciting since these ladies landed. I wonder if they will give me at least eight hours to sleep before the next disaster?”
Shakespeare chuckled. “I’m just glad I have a good crew that will deal with today’s cruise ship and hotel excursions so I can get some sleep, too.”
“Later,” Oli called as he walked through the front door.
Shakespeare decided to walk home on the beach. It was light enough for him to see even though the sky was a mottled blue. He hadn’t taken five steps before he saw her propped up on one of the lounge chairs lined in a neat row facing the water. He sat down on the one next to Lei Lu.
“This is one of my favorite things to do here.” He normally stretched out on the double chaise on his porch while drinking coffee. Images of what he did with Lei Lu a few hours ago on that soft cushion made him want the woman beside him even more.
She hummed agreement but didn’t speak. They sat in silence as the sky close to the horizon turned a lighter blue. Unsure why, he decided to continue. “You don’t get this view, even from a penthouse in New York City.” He should know, he owned one that he rarely used since he seldom went home. “My grandparents have a place near the tip of Long Island where the view is similar, but not quite as spectacular as sunrises here on Grand Turk.”
Thoughts of sitting next to his grandfather on their porch, sipping hot chocolate and watching the sky awaken was one of Shakespeare’s fondest childhood memories. He suddenly felt guilty for not talking to anyone in his family lately. He had a board meeting coming up in a month or so. He’d make it a point to take his grandfather out to breakfast.
The bluish lilac sky blended to pink and peach.
At Lei Lu’s silence, Shakespeare was suddenly afraid that she thought he was bragging. He wasn’t. He liked the fact that she had no idea who his parents were, or what they did. Moreover, he didn’t believe she’d care. She was her own person, comfortable with who she was and what she did.
He was sharing things with her that he never told other women. Growing up in New York City society, the women he’d dated probably had a better grasp on his net worth than he did. He’d suffered through stiffly starched shirts, choking ties, shoes that made his feet sweat and pinched at the same time, and benign conversations with Barbie dolls. It was all fake. Basically, a lie.
But he’d towed the family line until he graduated from college. Joining the Navy had been an initial eye-opener to the real world, but becoming a SEAL had taught him more about himself than anything he’d done in his life. He had determination, no matter what his father said. It just wasn’t focused on making more money like everyone else in his family.
Shakespeare wanted to make a difference.
He thought fighting for his country would fill that need. It did at first. He felt as though they were making a difference in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the politics changed, so did their fighting methods. It had finally reached the point where their ability to be effective had diminished to nothing more than police backup. A complete waste of their skills and abilities.
Rather than commit to another five years, Shakespeare had resigned his commission. He truly didn’t care if he got promoted or not. That’s how he’d ended up watching sunrises in Grand Turk.
“When I was at the Air Force Academy, we used to have to get up early and PT. I got so I looked forward to seeing the sunrise, knowing that I was free for another day.” She rolled her head and looked at him. “Where I grew up, sunrise for a woman meant she was already behind in her chores. She was expected to serve her husband breakfast so he could be out the door by the time the sun peeked over the horizon. For Mormon women, being a good wife and mother is their highest aspiration in life. I was the only female from my class to get accepted to college.” She huffed. “I might’ve been the only one to apply.”
Streaks of gold announced the coming sun.
“I take it that you don’t see much of your parents, either?” Shakespeare wished he had a cup of coffee, but then he nixed that idea. Caffeine would keep him awake and what he really wanted was to sleep.
“I wish,” she said sarcastically. “My parents have an uncanny way of showing up at my apartment the day before I get back from a mission. You know what it’s like when you first get home. You need to decompress, sleep, eat, and drink. Not necessarily in that order. And all too often, they bring someone with them and want me to show them around our nation’s capital. The last thing in the world I want to do is be nice to people, especially ones I don’t know.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” Shakespeare felt like he and Lei Lu had so much in common. “If my mother even gets wind that I’m thinking of coming home for a few days, she starts emailing me a list of events that I’m expected to attend and the names of the women I’m expected to escort. I fucking hate going home.”
As he watched the curve of the sun slide over the edge of the horizon, Shakespeare wondered why he thought of New York City as his home. He hadn’t really lived there since he was eighteen years old and left for college. He glanced up and down the beautiful beach then back out at the breathtaking sunrise. Why didn’t he think of Grand Turk as home? He’d lived there for five years. Strangely, it didn’t feel like home. It felt like nothing more than another stop in his journey of life. He wondered if he’d ever really settle down somewhere long enough that he would think of it as home.
Lei Lu stood and stretched her arms above her head, clasping them at the top then bending side to side. Her mouth dropped and she yawned. “I’m sorry, but I’m beat. I really need to sleep.”
She bent over and leaned her forehead against his. “I’m really sorry we didn’t get to finish what we started earlier.” She dropped her lips to his in a sweet kiss that held promises. “I have no idea what today’s going to bring, but I don’t want to go home.”
He sure as hell knew what that felt like.
She gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood up straight. “I’m thinking about staying here for a few days.” She smiled down at him. “Could I interest you in some whale watching or shipwreck diving?”
Oh, hell yes. Anything to spend time with her. He deserved a few days off. “I could be convinced.” He stood and took her hands in his. “Can I make you reservations at the best B and B in town?”
He loved watching her face fall in disappointment.
He grinned down at her. “It’s a beautiful place, right on the beach.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.” She forced a small smile.
“And it’s close to here.” He pulled her into his arms and dropped his head until his lips were next to her ear. “It’s two doors down the beach and has the coolest bar in the Caribbean. I know the innkeeper very well.”
She leaned her head back and coyly smiled at him. “You’re going to cook me breakfast? You did say B and B.”
“Yeah, I can do that. But the emphasis will be on the bed part.” He kissed her as though they were not going to see each other for days.
Her cell phone rang with a different, but still obnoxious, ring tone.
Lei Lu broke the kiss. “Fuck.”
“I was hoping we could get to that, sooner rather than later.” Shakespeare was trying to be a smartass but then he caught the frown on her face. “What’s wrong?”
She let out a long sigh. “The CDC has sent a plane for the viruses and it will be here in thirty minutes. We have a video conference call in ten minutes with USSOCOM.” She put her palm on the side of his face. “I’m so sorry, but I’m the team’s communications expert and I have to go set up for the call.”
He gave her a quick kiss. “I understand. Go to work. Give me a call—”
His phone beeped indicating he had an incoming text. After reading it, he laughed. “I’ve been ordered to go to your house and take part in the videoconference from USSOCOM.”