Navy SEAL Captive (16 page)

Knife. Attack.

Sawyer jerked awake, his eyes flew open and he tried to sit up. Pain forced him to reconsider, and he lay back against the sheet.

Something soft and silky brushed against his arm. When he glanced down, his heart swelled.

Jenna, the woman who'd risked her life to save him by jumping onto the back of a WaveRunner, was asleep with her head lying on the mattress of the hospital bed, her hand next to his.

This woman had done more for him than any stranger ever would. Boring she was not.
Caring
,
passionate
,
brave
and
beautiful
described her. Sawyer believed he knew her better in the short time he'd known her than her ex-fiancé had. Hell, the man probably never tried to get to know her properly. When he got out of the hospital and no one was gunning for him, he'd take Jenna on a real date, treating her to dinner, dancing and the romance she deserved.

He smoothed a hand over her auburn hair, wishing she would wake and let him see her bright green eyes. But she was so peaceful and getting some much-needed sleep after the events of the night before.

Jenna stirred and lifted her head, those green eyes shining up at him sleepily. “You're awake.”

He chuckled and winced. “I am. How long have I been out?”

She glanced around the room, shaking her head. “I have no idea.”

“Before everything starts getting crazy, I wanted to say thank-you.”

Her brows crinkled and her lips twisted. “For what?”

“For being the brave, beautiful and exciting woman you are.” He brushed a strand of silken hair back behind her ear. “And for saving my life.”

She shook her head. “You almost died last night.”

“But I didn't. And you saved my life in more ways one.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, smoothing her hand over the sheet, her lashes dropped to mask her expression.

Sawyer lifted her chin with one finger, forcing her to look at him. “You reminded me there is more to life than work and I don't have to be a cold bastard like my father.”

“Never cold,” she said, her fingers linking with his. “You have a big heart, Sawyer. Your teammates would vouch for that.”

“And you?”

She tilted her head. “My instincts say you have a big squishy heart, but I have a problem trusting my instincts. I'd really like to get to know you better. Spend some time with you. But that's completely up to you. You might not even like me.”

He snorted. “Not a chance. I think I could really come to love you.”

Jenna's eyes widened.

The
L
word coming out of Sawyer's mouth was almost as shocking to him as it was to Jenna, based on her expression. “Wow, did I really say that?”

She nodded. “You did. And you can't take something like that back.”

He cupped her cheek. “I don't want to. As I see it, I have almost a week left of vacation and you just got here. I don't suppose you'd want to go out with a man who has stitches in his belly and probably can't dance for a few weeks?”

She smiled. “I'd love to go sit by the swimming pool and soak up some sun with you. Maybe even read a book.”

“You've got a date, darlin'.” He tried to sit up again, the pain stabbing him in the belly forcing him to lie back. “I'd kiss you, but it seems sitting up isn't in the cards for me yet.”

“Allow me.” Jenna stood and leaned over the bed, brushing her lips across his.

“Mmm. That's good. But this is better.” Sawyer cupped the back of her head and brought her down for a deep, soul-defining kiss that shook him to the core. When he loosened his hold on her, she swayed, her eyes glazed and her lips swollen.

“That was good,” she whispered. “I hope they let you out of the hospital soon.”

“Me, too.” He tugged on her hand. “In the meantime, I bet there's room for both of us on this bed.”

A knock on the door kept him from scooting over.

Duff leaned in. “It's time for Operation Phoenix.” He stepped through the door and let it close behind him.

Sawyer frowned.

Duff glanced from Sawyer to Jenna. “Jenna didn't tell you?”

Sawyer stared at her. “Tell me what?”

“Your father landed in Cancún a little while ago. He's on his way to the hospital to see you.”

Sawyer pushed himself up in the bed, grimacing to fight the pain of pulled stitches. “Damn, that hurts.” Once upright, he tried to swing his legs over the side. “You have to stop him. There could be a killer out there waiting to take him out.”

Duff nodded. “Yeah. We're banking on it.”

“What?” Sawyer stared at his friend. Had Duff lost his mind?

“You don't remember the conversation?” Jenna's mouth twisted into a wry grin. “You were pretty much out of it. Your father needs to die long enough to let Natalie's team of special agents figure out who is behind the death of Becca's father, Devita and all of the attempts on your life, including the cut cable on the zip-line adventure.”

Duff nodded. “They're going to get him to go into something like witness protection until they can nail the bastard.”

“Sawyer, you really should lie down,” Jenna said.

Now that he was up, the thought of lying back in the bed sounded equally as painful as sitting up. “I'm okay.”

“You're bleeding through your bandages.” Jenna glanced at Duff. “Help me get him to lie down.”

Duff hurried to the other side of the bed. “Let us do the work for you. Jenna's right. You have to let the wounds heal.” Between Jenna and Duff, they lowered him to the mattress.

Sawyer groaned. “I hate being so damn helpless.”

Jenna stared down at the red stain on his belly and bit her lip. “I should call the nurse back in to have her check the damage you've done.”

“I'm fine,” Sawyer said. “I want to hear how you plan to get my father killed without actually hurting him.”

“If the assassin doesn't try to take him out on his way in,
you
have to pretend to die while he's here so the assassin will attempt a hit on his life on the way out.” Duff raised his hands. “What? You don't like the plan?”

“What if the killer succeeds?”

“Your father will be outfitted with armor plates.”

“What about his head?” Sawyer asked. “If the assassin is worth anything, he could aim for the head. Did you give my father a helmet?”

Duff grinned. “No, but we gave him a Kevlar fedora.”

Sawyer shook his head. “A what?”

Duff's grin widened. “Natalie's boss has some amazing connections.”

“I still don't like the idea of my father coming here. I don't know why he's here. He never came to anything when I was growing up. Hell, he didn't come to my graduation from BUD/S training.”

“Maybe he's finally coming around,” Duff said.

Jenna tightened her hold on his hand. “I'm going to run to the restroom and grab a cup of coffee, if I can find a cafeteria.”

“I'll stay with him until you get back.”

“I don't need a damn babysitter,” Sawyer groused.

“No, but you're in no condition to fight off an attack.”

“Danner's dead.”

“You want to bank your life that there's not another man waiting to do the job Danner couldn't?” Duff asked.

Jenna headed for the door. “I'll let you two duke this one out. I'll be back as soon as possible.”

The door closed behind her, leaving Duff and Sawyer alone.

“She's feisty,” Duff said.

Sawyer's gaze remained on the door Jenna had disappeared through. “Yes. She is.” His lips curled upward. “I like that about her.”

Duff stared at Sawyer. “Look at the two of us.”

“What?” Sawyer frowned up at his friend.

“You and me. Confirmed bachelors, determined to stay that way. ‘A SEAL has no right to drag a female into his life.'” Duff chuckled. “Remember saying that?”

Sawyer thought about it. “Yeah. I do remember saying that. And it's still true.”

“What if the woman is fully aware of your profession? Haven't you ever thought it might be up to the woman to make that decision?”

Sawyer chewed on Duff's words. “I guess.”

Duff raised his hands, palms up. “We should let them make that choice rather than making it for them.”

“Seems kind of selfish to want someone and not be there for them.” He tapped the mattress with his fingers. “Like how my father made the choice to marry and have children, then more or less abandoned us to his career.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that you're not your father?” Duff paced toward the window, performed an about-face and paced back. “You deserve to be happy. And if the female you care about loves you enough to take you, career and all, she deserves the chance to make that decision for herself.”

Sawyer stared at his friend, his eyes narrowing. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“You, brother.” Duff walked to the window again and shot a glance over his shoulder. “I'm already convinced.”

“You found the perfect woman for you.”

“And you haven't?”

Sawyer's gaze remained on the closed door. “Maybe.”

“Then give her and yourself a chance. You said it yourself. She's feisty.” Duff turned to stare out the window. “She'll need to be to put up with you.”

“Jerk.”

Duff didn't respond. His body tensed and he leaned toward the glass. “If I'm not mistaken, your father is in the parking lot and headed for the front entrance.”

Sawyer tried to sit up again, but the pain in his abdomen was too much. “What's happening?”

“Well, he's wearing the fedora, and judging from the bulky way he looks in his suit, he's decked out in the armor plating.”

“What's going on?” Sawyer demanded.

“Nothing so far.”

Sawyer didn't like this. “Get me up. I want to see what's going on.”

“No way. You're bleeding— Holy hell!” Duff said. “He's down!”

Again, Sawyer forced himself to a sitting position, the stitches ripping his skin. Warm blood trickled, filled the white bandages and dripped down his belly. When he slipped out of the bed and tried to stand, he almost passed out.

“What the hell are you doing?” Duff was at his side in an instant, lifting him up and settling him in the bed. “I'm going to get a nurse in here.”

“Don't. I'd rather you went to my father and helped him. Armored plates don't cover the entire body.”

Duff shot a glance toward the window. “You gotta promise me you won't do something stupid while I'm gone, like trying to join me.”

“I'll stay here. But I need to know you're looking out for my father.”

“On it.” Duff ran for the door and turned at the last second. “SEAL's honor.”

Sawyer held up a hand. “SEAL's honor.”

Duff left, and the door swung closed behind him.

Unable to sit still while his father could be in trouble, Sawyer swung his legs out of the bed. This time he held on when he got out and waited for his head to clear. He must have lost a lot of blood. He felt as weak as a newborn. But somehow he made it to the window and stared down at the gathering crowd around his father. He could make out Montana, Quentin, Natalie, Lance and Becca. Even Carly was down there, helping make sure the killer believed Senator Houston was dead.

Duff joined them and helped the hospital staff lift Sawyer's father onto a gurney and wheel him into the hospital.

So intent on the drama unfolding on the ground below his window, Sawyer didn't hear the door open. He didn't hear the footsteps crossing the floor until too late.

Something grabbed his head and slammed it into the window with such force, pain shot through his skull and he dropped to the ground, the fog of unconsciousness completely enveloping him.

Chapter Sixteen

Jenna had made use of the facilities, found a café and ordered two cups of coffee. She was backing into the swinging door of Sawyer's room when she heard a loud bang on the other side.

Thinking Sawyer might have fallen out of the bed, she shoved through quickly, her gaze going to the empty bed. Then she saw the man dressed in scrubs crouched by the window with a pillow in his hand, pressing it hard over Sawyer's face.

Jenna flung the cups of hot coffee at the man and charged at him, hitting him like a linebacker tackling a quarterback. Her impact was enough force to knock him into the window glass.

He staggered, righted himself and spun to face her.

Jenna backed away and did the only other thing she could think of—she screamed bloody murder and dived across the bed, landing on the other side.

The man rounded the bed and came at her, his hands reaching for her neck.

Jenna grabbed the lamp off the nightstand and swung it hard.

The attacker knocked the lamp from her hands and it crashed into the wall.

The attacker's hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed.

Kicking and flailing with all her strength, Jenna couldn't get the man to let go. Her throat ached, she couldn't breathe and darkness crept in around the edges of her vision. All she could think of was that she couldn't let this guy kill her. If he did, there'd be no one stop him from killing Sawyer, if he hadn't already.

With renewed resolve, she jerked her knee up, connecting with the man's groin. He loosened his hold. Jenna knocked his arms away. She dropped to the ground, rolled out of reach and stood on the other side of the bed. With the little bit of strength she had left, she shoved the bed with all her might, slamming it against the man and pinning him against the wall.

Then Sawyer was standing beside her, leaning his weight into the bed with her, his face pale but his jaw set.

Trapped at the waist, the man couldn't free his legs. He reached into the waistband of his scrubs and pulled out a handgun.

A large, shiny bedpan sailed across the room and caught the gun as the man pulled the trigger. His arm jerked back.

Jenna's heart stopped. Nothing had hit her, which led her to believe Sawyer had been hit. When she looked over at him, her heart started beating again. He was still upright. The only blood visible soaked his bandages where he'd ripped his stitches loose.

Duff charged into the room and yanked the man out from between the wall and the bed, jerked his arm up behind his back and slammed his face into the wall.

Montana arrived and offered a zip tie to secure the man's wrists behind his back. “Nice to see you have things under control. While you take care of our assassin, I'll check on things downstairs.”

Jenna slipped an arm around Sawyer's waist and let him lean on her.

“My father?” Sawyer asked.

Natalie entered the room as Duff left, and went to Sawyer, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Sawyer, I'm so very sorry.”

“What?” Sawyer gripped her arms. “What happened?”

Jenna's heart pinched in her chest. Though she knew this was all a sham, she was amazed at how real Natalie and Sawyer made it feel.

“Your father—” Natalie paused, swallowed hard and continued “—was shot dead at the front entrance of the hospital.” Then she hugged him again and whispered something into his ear. She stepped back. “They've taken him to the morgue in the basement. His body will be prepared for shipment back to the States.”

Sawyer stared at her for a long time before saying, “I want to see him.”

“You shouldn't be up and about,” Jenna said. “You're bleeding.”

“I'll let the doc sew me up again, but I want to see my father one last time.”

A nurse entered with two Mexican policemen.

The policemen took the attacker out of the room.

Duff left and returned with a wheelchair. He and Jenna eased Sawyer into it. Then Duff rolled him out of the room and down the hallway to the elevator. Jenna walked beside the chair and held Sawyer's hand. She had to let go as they entered the elevator car.

The trip to the basement didn't take long. When they arrived, an orderly led them into an embalming room, where a body lay on a gurney, covered in a sheet and surrounded by Lance, Quentin, Montana, Carly and Becca.

Natalie spoke to the orderly in halting Spanish, and he left.

As soon as the door closed behind the orderly, Senator Houston flung back the sheet and sat up on the gurney. “I thought you'd never get rid of that orderly.” He rubbed his chest. “I have to admit, I didn't expect it to hurt that much. But I'm damn glad I had the armor plating.” He directed his attention to Sawyer, his brow furrowing into deep lines. “Son, are you okay?”

Sawyer frowned. “Why did you come?”

The frown eased from the senator's brow. “I got a message that you would be killed if I didn't come to Cancún immediately.” He stared at Sawyer. “I came.”

Sawyer's jaw tightened.

Jenna could feel the tension between the two men. She laid a hand on Sawyer's shoulder, wanting to take away the physical as well as the emotional pain. But she remained silent.

Sawyer reached up and covered her hand with his as he spoke to his father. “You realize now that you're dead, you have to stay dead until we figure out who is trying to kill you.”

His father nodded. “I spoke with Royce Fontaine, head of Stealth Operations Specialists. I understand what has to happen.”

“And you're going to walk away from your office for however long it takes?”

“For good, if I have to.” Rand Houston shoved a hand through his hair. “On the flight down from DC, I had time to reflect on my life, yours and what's important. It took me thirty years to come to the conclusion that your life is more important to me than my work in the senate.”

Sawyer snorted. “A little late, don't you think?”

His father nodded. “Yeah. But not too late for you. Now that I'm playing dead, whoever wanted to hurt me by hurting you ideally will stop trying. That's what counts. Look, son, I don't expect you to forgive me for being a lousy father. I just want you to live a full life and be happy. If being a SEAL makes you happy, I think that's great. I might not have told you this, but the proudest day of my life was the day you graduated BUD/S training. I couldn't be there because we had a hostage crisis in Libya going on at the time.” The senator shook his head. “I know. It was always something. I'm glad you're going to be okay, and I hope when this is all over, we can meet for coffee and start over.” He held out his hand to his son.

For a long moment, Sawyer stared at it. Finally he took the hand and shook it. “I'll take you up on that cup of coffee as long as I get to choose the place. I can't stand that fancy coffee.”

Senator Houston grinned. “You're on.”

Natalie's cell phone buzzed. She listened and then lifted her head. “Senator Houston, your ambulance has arrived to take you to the plane.”

He nodded and looked around the room as if for the first time. “I guess I'm off to a new life and a new identity. Who knows? Maybe I'll like it enough that I won't want to go back to the Capitol.” He lay back on the gurney. Natalie covered him with the sheet, and they rolled him out of the morgue, into the waiting ambulance.

Quentin and Montana rode in the back of the ambulance with the senator. Carly opted to go with Quentin.

Once his father was on his way to the airport, Sawyer let Duff push his wheelchair back to the elevator and help him to his room and the bed.

“If you're all right, I think I'll head to the hotel with Natalie and Becca. I'd like to get a shower and shave. I'll be back later.”

Sawyer waved at his friend. “Go. I seriously doubt I'll be attacked again. If I am, I have my bodyguard to keep me safe.” He smiled at Jenna.

A warm feeling spread through her, but it was immediately cooled when the nurse and doctor entered the room.

They spent the next ten minutes suturing the torn stitches. They gave him a bag of ice for the knot on his head from being slammed into the window and apologized for the lapse in hospital security that allowed a madman to attack him.

All the while the nurse and doctor worked with Sawyer, Jenna hung back. Now that Sawyer was on the mend and out of danger of being shot or stabbed, he no longer needed her.

Jenna wondered if she should go back to her room and get on with her vacation.

The door closed behind the doctor and nurse, leaving her alone with Sawyer.

“Hey,” Sawyer said. “Why are you way over there, when I'm way over here?”

Jenna shrugged. “I was thinking I should go, now that you don't need me anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” He lay back against the pillows. “You're my bodyguard. All you need is a couple of cups of coffee and a hospital bed to neutralize any threat.”

Jenna crossed to him and let him take her hand. She liked the way it looked so small in his bigger hand. “I figured you might not want a boring accountant holding you back.”

He caught her chin in his palm and forced her to look at him. “You are not boring. Hell, you're the most exciting woman I've ever had the honor to be saved by.” He laced his fingers with hers and brought them to his lips. “A wise old SEAL told me I should give myself and my girl a chance to find happiness. Now, since I don't have a girl, or at least don't have one yet, I was hoping, if you can stand to be around a guy who is all cut up and might bleed on you while making love, you might consider going on a date with me?”

Her heart swelled and threatened to burst from her chest. “I'd love to.”

“Good. As soon as I'm out of this hospital, you're on. But while I'm stuck here, I swear this bed will fit two.” He patted the mattress beside him. “I won't ask for anything but your warm body next to mine, and I'll even let you sleep, because—” he yawned “—I think they gave me a really good painkiller.”

Jenna crawled up beside him, careful not to jolt him. Then she lay in the curve of his arm, snuggling beside a pretty amazing SEAL.

“Mmm. Now, that's more like it,” Sawyer murmured. “I could fall in love with a woman like you. Feisty and never boring.”

* * * * *

Read on for an excerpt from

HARD RAIN
,
the next installment in
New York Times
bestselling author
B.J. Daniels's series
THE MONTANA HAMILTONS.

When Brody McTavish sees Harper Hamilton's runaway horse galloping across the pastures, he does what any good cowboy would do—gives chase and rescues her. But they soon have bigger problems when they make a gruesome discovery—human remains that will dredge up old Hamilton family mysteries...and bring about a scandal that could threaten all Harper's loved ones.

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