Hard Core (Onyx Group) (11 page)

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Let him go.”

Her patient fell into a heap onto the ground and curled into
a fetal position, rocking in the sand.

“Thank you,” she said to Cristian. He was still strung
tight. Dark. Dangerous. Every inch the mercenary.

“You’re a fool,” Cristian said roughly and turned away. “Get
him on the boat before I kill him.”

She dropped down next to her patient and spoke quietly,
comforting and explaining the situation. In shock, the man only stared at her
blankly and allowed her to lead him to Cristian’s long, sleek boat.

Cristian helped them aboard, all but lifting her patient off
the ladder. She followed suit, noticing blood droplets on the floor. “You’re
bleeding.”

“Get him downstairs in one of the cabins. Keep him quiet.
There are clothes in the closets. Here.” He tossed her a bottle of pills. “Give
him two of these.”

“What are they?” No label adorned the brown prescription
bottle.

“Something to help him sleep. Go.”

Her patient didn’t resist as she led him downstairs. Alana
found one of the bigger cabins and helped her patient into a pair of Bermuda
shorts and t-shirt she found in the closet. He didn’t put up a fight when she
nudged him into bed and covered him with a blanket. His eyes were open wide and
stared blankly at the wall. He was in shock.

Not that she blamed him. He’d been kidnapped, strapped naked
to a gurney, threatened with a scalpel and guns and Cristian. No wonder the
poor man retreated within himself. He’d been through hell. Everyone he’d come
in contact with tried to kill him.

“I’ll be right back.” She left the room and walked down the
hall to the kitchen, where she poured a glass of water and tapped two pills out
of the bottle Cristian had given her. Back in the cabin, her patient was in the
same position as when she’d left him.

“Here,” she said, lifting his head. “Take these. They’ll
help you sleep.” She managed to get the pills down him, followed by the water.

“Rest now,” she told him, relieved when he blinked at her.
“No one here will hurt you. You’re safe.”

His eyes closed and she sighed, worn out. Slipping off the
shoe covers she’d forgotten she was wearing, she took one last look at her
patient. She’d like to take a nice, long nap too, but she had to talk to
Cristian, so she went back upstairs. The boat moved quietly through the water.
Cristian stood behind the wheel, taking them out to sea. The sun rose in the
sky, bringing heat with it.

“Where are you taking us?” she asked, standing next to him.
There were all kinds of high tech gadgets on the dash that she had no idea how
to read.

“To a cove a mile out,” he answered without looking at her.
His hands deftly held the wheel as the sleek boat cut silently through the
water.

A gentle breeze stirred hair that had come loose from her
ponytail. Salt from the sea clung to her lips. This was the first time she’d
been off the island in five years. Because of Cristian, she might never have to
leave again.

“Sit down before you fall down,” Cristian said gruffly.

“I’m fine.”

A muscle jumped in his stubbled jaw. She longed to reach out
and smooth it, but kept her hands at her sides. He wouldn’t appreciate it and
they had other things to talk about.

“You’re going back for Gavin?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll leave? Go to the Rocky Mountains?”

He glanced at her, brows raised before he masked his
surprise.

“You told me it’s your favorite place.”

That muscle in his jaw twitched now.

“No matter,” she said, since he wasn’t going to give her any
more information. He’d told her more when he was delirious. “As long as Gavin
is…gone, that’s all that matters.”

They rounded a corner of an alcove that couldn’t be seen
from the island. Cristian turned off the engine and took the key. He picked up
the Glock she’d dropped in the sand when her patient attacked her from the
dash, and handed it to her.

“Aim and shoot,” he reminded.

Alana nodded, not bothering to argue. He’d only steamroll
her again. If he thought she would use it, he’d leave her alone about it. He
didn’t need to know she had no intention of shooting anyone.

“Did you give him the pills?” Cristian asked, brushing past
her.

“Yes. He’s resting.” She followed him to the ladder. “You’re
going now?”

“Stay below.” He disappeared over the side.

Suddenly not wanting him to go, she leaned over the edge.
“How long will you be?”

“Not sure. The boat is fully stocked.”

Not what she meant. She worried about him not coming back.
Gavin had a small army backing him. Cristian was only one man. The odds were
against him. If he didn’t succeed, her family would be slaughtered. She would
never survive that.

“Be careful.”

Cristian scowled at her before plunging into the water. She
watched him swim away with strong, powerful strokes until he was a nothing but
a dot on the horizon. With a sigh, she went downstairs to wait for his return.

* * * *

The hairs on the back of Slade’s neck bristled. He leveled
his gun on the bush in front of him and waited. Ross’s men weren’t versed in
stealth. Getting the drop on them was a matter of patience.

A minute later a man stumbled out of the brush, covered in
blood. Slade recognized him as one of the tribe members in Alana’s camp. From
the night he’d helped rescue that boy.

He put his gun away and knelt down to help the man to his
knees. Numerous wounds peppered his body, including a gunshot wound in his
chest.

The man rolled onto his back in Slade’s arms, eyes lolling
in his head. He began to speak, his words slurred. Fluent in Spanish, but not
this dialect, Slade tried to follow. What he understood made him sweat bullets.

He tried to keep the man coherent long enough to repeat
himself. It couldn’t be true.

Another complication.

But the man’s eyes closed in death, the duty turned over to
Slade. Slade cursed and lowered him to the ground. He scrubbed a hand over his
face. “
Fuck
.”

More delays.

Ross would have to wait. Alana’s father was in trouble. And
knowing how she felt about him, Slade couldn’t let this go and cause her
unnecessary pain.

Heading in the opposite direction of Ross’s estate, Slade
hoped he wasn’t too late.

* * * *

He was too late.

Slade’s steps faltered as he stared at the massacre around
him. Only a short time ago he’d left this village. And now…

Everywhere he looked, people lay in bloody heaps. Men,
women, and children. The whole damned village. They hadn’t stood a chance
against the weapons used on them. AK’s, Uzi’s.

The huts burned around him; smoke billowed into the canopy
overhead and stung his nostrils. The scent of death surrounded him. There was
nothing left. Everything had been destroyed.

He just didn’t know why.

But he was too late.

Too goddamn late.

Bile rose in his throat as he stepped over a dead body. What
kind of animal murdered an entire village of people? A rabid one that needed to
be put down.

His finger twitched on the trigger of his rifle as his steps
carried him through the devastation. He’d always been able to separate himself
from his work. Never had he wanted a man in sights more than he did Gavin Ross
at this moment. The man deserved Slade’s bullet.

Breath trapped in his throat, he stopped short, a noise
drawing his attention. He looked over and saw a body roll sideways. A hand
reached up.

The man lay bleeding on the ground, reaching for help.
Alana’s father. Judging by the hole in his chest, he didn’t have long to live.

Fury washed through Slade. He reached out and pushed the
man’s shoulders down gently when he tried to sit up. “No,” he said, wishing he
could do more.

He’d seen enough gunshot wounds to know when nothing would
save a man. This one had minutes to live.

“My daughter,” the man said, his eyes glazed with pain.
“Alana.” He grabbed his shirt with amazing strength for one so frail. “He…took
her. You…must…save…her…from him. He’ll…please…promise me.” The two last words
were spoken with conviction, his grip tightening. “Take her…home…protect
her…always.”

Too dangerous.

Too personal.

“Promise me.”

He would never leave Alana unprotected and he suspected this
man knew it. If he made the promise, it would be written in stone.

“Say it.”

“You have my word.”

The man’s eyes softened with relief and his hand slipped
from Slade’s shirt. His eyes drifted closed.

“Thank you.” He let out his last breath.

Slade swore beneath his breath and sat back on his haunches,
rubbing a hand down his face. He’d just made a promise to a dying man and
connected himself to the beautiful doctor for life. His vow to protect her
would never cease.

The stench of death filled his nostrils, hardening his
resolve. An act like this didn’t deserve mercy. Gavin Ross didn’t deserve a
sniper’s bullet. He deserved a slow, torturous death.

He rose to his feet and took one last look around. Then he
walked away, the images burned into his memory.

Alana heard a noise in the distance that sounded like a lawn
mower. With a frown, she rose from her patient’s side and walked into the
hallway. She cocked her head and listened, trying to make out where the noise
came from.

She followed the sound upstairs and stepped onto the deck.
It was getting louder. And sounded like…boats.

It wasn’t all that unusual for tourists to explore the outer
islands of the Caribbean. She didn’t understand what drew people to explore,
but as long as they left the tribe alone, she didn’t care. She’d helped a
couple lost travelers over the years, otherwise had no trouble.

Yet, it paid to be cautious. Cristian had tucked the boat
behind a cluster of large rocks, but if someone looked hard enough they’d find
it. There was always the possibility of pirates looking for expensive boats
like this one to raid.

Better to stay out of sight and hope for tourists doing some
sightseeing.

She went below to check on her patient again, saw he was
still asleep, and went into the small, orderly kitchen and took a water bottle
out of the fridge. She sat at the table and sipped it, exhaustion wearing on
her. Hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the flood of memories. She’d almost
committed murder for the sake of her family.

She would never know if she had the capacity to do it or
not.

And she hoped she’d never have to.

Restless, she capped her bottle and began to pace. What was
taking Cristian so long? It seemed like forever since he’d gone. The waiting
was driving her nuts.

The odds were against him. What if he didn’t come back? What
if he needed her help?

“Stop,” she muttered. What-if’s didn’t do her any good.
Until Cristian returned, she had no choice but face the unknown, no matter how
unnerving.

She crept up the stairs, crouched low, and scanned for
boats. By the sound of the engines they were getting closer, but she couldn’t
see them yet. If it was pirates, she wanted to see them coming.

And be prepared instead of a sitting duck.

* * * *

Slade heard boats. Not cruisers. Speedboats. Moving fast
near the island. Near Alana. Dammit. He couldn’t guarantee they were harmless.

FUBAR. This whole mission. Alana was a sitting duck. She
didn’t know where he kept his stash of weapons. Even if she did, she wouldn’t
know how to use them. She had no way to defend herself.

He couldn’t take a chance the boats were tourists.

He couldn’t take a chance it was Ross.

Slade slung his rifle over his shoulder. Another delay in
his mission. He hated delays.

At a dead run, he headed toward the sea and Alana, cutting
through the jungle to get to her faster. When he reached the beach, he crouched
low behind a giant leaf and watched two long-hulled powerboats skim the shore.
Ross wouldn’t leave anything to chance. He would cover land and sea to find
Alana. Smart move.

Quickly he buried his weapons, crept across the beach and
slid into the water. With powerful, purposeful strokes he swam as hard as he
could toward where he had hidden Alana. With luck she hadn’t been discovered
yet. It wouldn’t take them long to find the alcove.

Swimming faster, he headed for the boat.

And prayed he wasn’t too late this time.

* * * *

Alana sat on the deck keeping watch for the boats she heard
in the distance. They weren’t moving very fast and hadn’t reached the alcove
yet. Only a matter of time before they discovered where she was.

Something bumped the side of the boat. Startled, she clapped
a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. The sea was full of sharks and other
predators and she wouldn’t welcome them anymore than pirates. Moving slowly,
she rose up to look over the edge. Slade climbed over.

With a gasp of surprise she jumped back. “Cristian. You
scared the life out of me. What’s wrong?”

The hard look on his face had her following him to the
steering wheel.

“We’re leaving.” He found the key and brought the powerful
engine to life.

“Leaving?” she repeated.

“Those boats you hear are Ross’s men looking for us.” He
backed out of the cove and panic filled her chest.

“Where will we go?” she asked. “There’s nothing but islands
and sea. We can’t hide.”

Cristian jerked the wheel and the boat shot out of the cove.
She grabbed onto the dash to keep from being thrown backward.

“Where are we going?” she asked again over the wind whipping
her in the face as they sailed across the open sea.

“Bilwi.”

“Bilwi? In Nicaragua? But, that’s sixty miles away. I can’t
go there.” Her family was back there. She couldn’t go to Nicaragua. “Did
you…finish the job?”

He cast her a sideways glance and her stomach dropped.

“You didn’t, did you? Gavin Ross is still alive?”

A muscle clenched in his jaw.

“Oh no,” she whispered. “He’s alive.” She grabbed Cristian’s
arm. “I have to go back. He’ll kill my father.” Desperation made her fingers
dig into his flesh.

He didn’t seem to notice, just stared straight ahead with a
closed expression.

“Did you hear me? He’ll kill my father,” she shouted over
the wind, a knot forming in her stomach. Damn him for always keeping his
thoughts concealed. She needed to read him right now. Needed to know he would
protect her father from Gavin. No one else could. She had tried and failed. If
anything happened to her father, she would never forgive herself.

Cristian finally looked at her, his face set in grave lines.
“Your father is dead.”

“What?” Slowly, she shook her head and backed away a step.
“You’re lying. Why would you lie about something like that? Have you no heart?”

But she knew he told the truth. Cristian wouldn’t lie to
her. Not about this. He knew how it would hurt her.

“No.”

Cristian returned his eyes to the sea, his shoulders set in
rigid lines as he steered them away from her family.

“Go back!” she shouted and grabbed the wheel. Cristian held
fast, preventing her from turning it. “Take me back to my family. Right now.”

Cristian didn’t waver. She was no match for his strength. He
allowed her to struggle for a moment before using his body to push her away.

His gaze met and held hers. “They’re all dead.”

Alana reeled back. The truth shown in the hard lines of his
face and reflected in his ice blue eyes.

“No. When?” she managed past the lump in her throat. Her
heart pounded against her ribcage. It couldn’t be true.

“At least twelve hours ago.”

She clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob and shook
her head in denial. It wasn’t true. He was lying to protect her. That had to be
it. Her father was alive and well on the island. No matter how hard she tried
to deny it, it was there. Cold, hard, brutal truth.

The ramifications of what he’d said hit her like a wrecking
ball. “I hate you,” she spat and stumbled blindly below deck.

* * * *

Slade gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
Alana’s parting words echoed through his head. She had every right to hate him.
That wasn’t how he’d planned to tell her about her father. Hell, he hadn’t
wanted to tell her at all. He’d give anything to take it all back.

He’d do anything to never have taken this assignment.

It had seemed simple when Patrick Gallagher--Onyx Group’s
founder and leader--called him. It was the reason Patrick allowed him to go
without backup. Slade didn’t often require backup, but Gallagher trusted the
buddy system, residual of his SEAL days, and no one argued with the boss. Slade,
however, got away with more than most, given his stubborn desire to work alone.
He worked better alone. He’d spent his entire life on his own and that made it
comfortable.

This contract should have been easy. A deserted island, one
man with a very small army and minimal security. Getting on the island
undetected had been easy. Getting within range of Ross even easier.

Until the beautiful red-haired doctor saved his life.

Invaded
was more like it.

Now, he was in one hell of a precarious position. He still
had a contract to fulfill and a promise to a dead man to uphold.

The hum of engines drew his attention. Three boats tailed
him, gaining fast. He pushed Alana out of his head. He needed focus. Or they
would all be dead. Ross wouldn’t give up.

And neither would he.

He gunned the motor and veered west toward Bilwi. Outrunning
them was the only chance they had. Without backup he had no one to return fire
and keep them from getting too close. He couldn’t steer and shoot accurately at
the same time.

Cursing low and hard, he heard Gallagher’s voice in his
head, giving his speech about teamwork and the importance of having someone
watch your back. As much as he hated to admit it, he could use the team here
right now. Rick Sarver, to be exact, the team’s weapons specialist. His
knowledge and use of weapons was legendary. It would be useful to have him
covering his six right now.

Not that he’d ever admit it to Gallagher.

Nicaragua would be the safest place for them. Once they got
closer, it would more populated and have more boats to hide among and distract
Ross’s men. They wouldn’t shoot with people around and risk alerting the
Nicaraguan authorities, who could link them to Ross.

His decision to rent the boat had been the only good one
he’d made. Faster than any other boat on these waters, he’d bet his life on it.
That speed would save their asses.

He pushed the boat faster and harder toward safety.

In the marina outside Bilwi, a small coastal city known for
its violence, Slade turned off the engines and scanned the area for Ross’s men.
He’d quickly lost them, but it wouldn’t be hard to figure out where he hid. The
Atlantic coast was only so big.

He would leave the keys on the rental, call the man he’d
rented it from, and get the first flight out of the city.

Below, he found Alana sitting beside her patient, staring
off into space, her face devoid of emotion. It didn’t look like she’d shed a
tear.

“Come on, Doc,” he said. “We’re here.”

She didn’t answer or look at him. He laid a hand on her
shoulder and gave her a little shake. Dazed, she looked up at him.

“Are we there?” she asked automatically.

“Yes. Wait for me on deck, but stay down. I’ll get your
patient.”

“What will you do with him?”

“Take him to the nearest hospital.”

With a nod, she turned and obeyed his command. No argument.
Not a flicker on her pale face. That concerned him. This wasn’t the woman he
knew. She should be railing at him, angry, grieving, something. Anything. She
should be
reacting
.

At the door she turned back to say, “He won’t be safe in a hospital.
Gavin needs me.”

Slade didn’t know what that meant, but it made his gut
churn. Ross would kill both of them for escaping. And if they had something on
him, then Ross wouldn’t stop until they were dead.

More complications. The shell shock on Alana’s face told him
this was far from over. Not only because Gavin Ross was still alive, but
because he had to protect this woman. He’d sworn an oath, and he never broke
his word.

But he couldn’t do it on his own. He needed backup, dammit.

“Stay here.” He brushed past her to where his satellite
phone was hidden in his pack. He pulled it out and punched in an untraceable
number. A clipped voice answered on the second ring.

“Gallagher.”

“It’s Slade.”

“Slade? What happened?”

Slade bit back his frustration at having to make this call
and swallowed his pride for the pretty young doctor. “Complications. Can you
send a small team to Nicaragua?”

A pause. “Give me your exact location.”

Slade rattled off the details and Gallagher hung up without
pumping him too hard for information. The man was astute enough to know if
Slade asked for backup, then things were very, very bad. Slade trusted his boss
enough to know he’d have a team here by nightfall. Until then, he would stash
Alana and her patient.

He went back into the cabin where she waited. “There’s an
inn a couple blocks from here. We’ll stay there.”

Alana nodded. No questions about why or how long they’d be
there or what they were waiting for. He didn’t like seeing her like this.
Eventually, the dam would break. He could only hope to be there to help her
pick up the pieces.

What the hell was he thinking? He wasn’t the type of man who
stuck around to pick up the pieces.

“Your leg is bleeding.” She spoke in that same monotone.

Maybe if he gave her something to do, she would snap out of
it. “There’s a First Aid kit in the bathroom under the sink.”

She shuffled away and he let out a frustrated breath. They
couldn’t stay here long. Ross’s men weren’t far behind.

Alana returned with the First Aid kit. “Take your pants
off.”

“I don’t think you want me to do that, Doc.”

“I know you don’t wear anything under your clothes,” she
said. “I undressed you so I could treat you, remember?”

He wasn’t unconscious this time. With a shrug, Slade shucked
his jungle print cammies and stood naked in front of her. Her eyes flickered
over him with the practiced detachment of a professional.

She swallowed hard and drew in a deep breath before opening
the kit in her lap. The first sign of life he’d seen yet. She wasn’t as immune
as she led him to believe. When her hands touched him, he about jumped out of
his skin. One hand cupped the back of his thigh, the other gently cleaned away
the blood. Her touch heated him from inside out. His body responded immediately
and he didn’t try to hide it. Alana’s focus moved from where she cleaned his
skin to his erection and her hand stilled.

Slade looked down, saw her staring at him, and broke out in
a sweat. She was so close. He imagined he could even feel her warm breath on
his already heated flesh. All he’d have to do was turn slightly. Her lips were
already parted, but she’d open for him fully. She could take him in her sweet
mouth, so warm and willing…