Prelude to a Rumor, Part Two (Harmless Book 4) (2 page)

R
andy had been
in some horrible situations before this. There was the time he’d been pinned down outside of Kandahar, and they had lost three of the team members. He’d lost another one of his former SEAL team members to suicide when he couldn’t cope with the memories. None of that could compare to the clusterfuck this assignment had brought about.

“Up here,” Kaheaku said. He glanced at his partner and nodded. Randy’s pain was escalating with each step he took. Worse, he kept thinking about infection. He just wanted to get it cleaned out and dressed. Running around the jungle was probably not a good idea with an open wound.

They stepped into a clearing. There was a building there, which apparently operated as some sort of hotel. He glanced at Kaheaku, who shrugged.

“Not the greatest accommodations, but I figured a former SEAL could handle it.”

Randy nodded and followed him up. There was very little activity around it, but it was pretty evident he was one of the very few Caucasians in the area. Add in that most of the men refused to make eye contact. Uneasiness slipped down his spine.

“Aren’t you worried we’ll get noticed?”

Sean shook his head. “No. Most of these people don’t want anyone to know what they’re doing. Not here anyway.”

Randy studied the group again. Some were dressed in clothes similar to what he and Kaheaku wore. Cargo pants, t-shirts, boots. But, there were men in business suits, and almost everyone there was male. And the men were the only ones in couples. It hit him that this was probably secluded for a reason.

He glanced at his companion again. “Is there a reason you know about this place?”

His lips twitched before they curved into a cocky smile. “Other than the fact that I needed a place to stay after my car went out on me last year, no. I don’t hide my sexual preferences.”

Fuck, the man was sexy. Randy had noticed him from the first moment he’d started working for Lassiter. It was hard not to. Tall, muscled, green eyes—right up Randy’s alley. Knowing Kaheaku was bisexual added to the attraction, but worse, he was fucking sarcastic. It made him almost impossible not to fantasize about.

He’d taken time to fashion a bandage out of a bandana, but the blood was starting to seep through. And he needed to give the wound a good cleaning.

Sean apparently read his mind.

“Let’s get a room and get you set. Then we can figure out what to do.”

He nodded and followed Sean up the front steps. A small Filipino man stood behind a stained desk.

“Need a room,” Sean said.

Randy noticed he did not ask, just ordered. He liked that in a man…to a point. And in the situation, it was definitely nice. Randy was accustomed to taking charge, and he was good at it. But, his arm ached and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded. Having someone take over the little things at the moment made life a little easier.

The man behind the counter said nothing back to Sean. Apparently they knew each other well enough. He grabbed a key and flung it on the desk. Sean tossed out a few bills, grabbed the key.

“Let’s go,” he said, without turning around.

Randy wasn’t that great at taking orders. It was one of the reasons he had left the Navy. He’d loved his job, but he did better working with a two-person team. Share the work. He definitely didn’t like working for jackasses like his last commanding officer. But, right now, it was just best to go along.

He followed Kaheaku up two sets of stairs. Sweat trickled down his back and his arm throbbed. The thing hurt like a motherfucker. If Kaheaku hadn’t shot the bastard, Randy would have been tempted to hunt the bastard down and beat the shit out of him.

By the time they reached the room, Randy could barely catch his breath. It was embarrassing to admit, even to himself.

Kaheaku unlocked the door and stepped inside. They both surveyed the room. It wasn’t big. Hell, there wasn’t a lot of space in the room.

“We need to get that cut cleaned and dressed.”

Randy looked around the room again, then walked to the bathroom. “I might catch something else in here.”

Kaheaku shook his head as he took off his pack. “I got supplies, as I am sure you do as well.”

He did. “I can take care of it.”

Kaheaku let one brow rise but said nothing. Of course he didn’t. He wasn’t truly the leader of the partnership, but in a way he was. He’d known Lassiter longer than Randy had and he was uninjured.

“Okay.”

He stripped off his shirt and winced as a fission of pain shot down his arm.

“Fuck,” he said from behind gritted teeth. Shit, he didn’t want to look weak now. It was stupid, but it was like he was trying to impress Kaheaku. They both crowded into the bathroom.

“Ah, really just a flesh wound.”

He nodded. Kaheaku opened a bottle of antiseptic and poured it on Randy’s wound.

“Mother fuck.”

Kaheaku chuckled. “Yeah, I bet that hurts. I think I’m gonna have to sew it up. Butterfly sutures are not going to work.”

“And the day just keeps getting better,” Randy said as he watched Kaheaku pull out a needle and thread. “Listen, I know you’re former Special Forces, but do you know what you’re doing with that thing?”

A small smile curved his lips. “Yeah. I grew up on a ranch on the Big Island, so I know all about taking care of injuries.”

“Hawaii?”

He nodded. Randy should have known it from the cadence in Kaheaku’s voice, not to mention the last name.

“And, up in cattle country, it could be a long drive to the hospital. You learn how to fix things like this.”

He threaded the needle as if trained and Randy swallowed. He had hunted the Taliban, faced down more than one insurgent in Iraq, but fucking needles freaked him the fuck out.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”

The double entendre surprised a laugh out of him.

“I just have this thing with needles.”

“Yeah. My mom did too. She would freak out if there was even mention of a needle.”

“Was?”

“She died a few years ago.”

And it was a soft spot for the big Hawaiian. He heard it in Kaheaku’s voice that he still missed his mother. Dammit, it only made him even more attractive.

Over the next few minutes, they didn’t speak. Kaheaku worked the needle in and out of his skin as Randy did his best not to vomit or, worse, pass out. When Kaheaku finally finished, Randy released a breath he did not know he had been holding.

“Take the bed and catch a few minutes. I’ll survey the perimeter.”

He opened his mouth, but Sean shook his head. “You need to rest up and then you can take over. I want to make sure you don’t get an infection. I am not about to carry your ass out of here.”

He smiled and watched as Kaheaku packed away the medical supplies.

“I’ll hunt up some drinking water so you can take a couple of ibuprofen.”

He nodded and didn’t argue. Kaheaku left him alone. He sat down on the bed and looked around. Damn, he was getting old if one little flesh wound had him down for the count.

There was one thing that was for sure, once he got a hold of Royce Lassiter, he was going to beat the shit out of the man.

T
hree hours later
, Sean kept watch by the window. Night had fallen quickly and though it seemed their tail had disappeared, something was wrong. There was something really off about this assignment from the start, and it was going downhill fast.

Young shifted on the mattress, drawing Sean’s attention. He walked over and looked down at his partner. He had checked under the bandage in the last hour, and there was no redness around the wound yet. That had eased some of his worries. Now, though, Young didn’t look so hot. Sweat beaded his brow and his skin was flush. Fever had set in, but Sean didn’t think it had to do with the wound. Dammit. Could anything else go wrong?

This assignment was definitely fucked.

F
or a full two days
, Sean was stuck at the hotel. Randy’s fever kept him in bed for twenty-four hours. He could have left him, and Randy had tried to get him to go, but it was too dangerous. Randy would be left with no way of defending himself. When the fever finally broke, he could barely get the energy to move. It took another twenty-four hours before Sean was able to leave so he could contact Lassiter.

“I should be back within a few hours. Hopefully, I can get a hold of Lassiter without too much trouble.”

Randy nodded. “Tell him I’m not all that thrilled working for him.”

“Will do.”

But he hesitated.

“Go. I can deal with the situation.”

He did as Randy ordered and started off to the nearest town. He needed to get somewhere with good cell reception. Sean knew he had limited time before he was recognized, and he also had limited time he could leave Randy. He had to admit; it hadn’t been as uncomfortable as he thought it would be. Caring for someone he wasn’t really familiar with should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. They seemed to have a connection. Most of it probably had to do with the situation. Desperate times and close quarters helped diminish any normal barriers. Sean figured they would sort out what it meant between them later.

He didn’t have to go into Bulusan, but he knew he needed to get as close as possible. And they needed to get the fuck away from there. They were very close to an active volcano and, going by the rest of the mission, Sean didn’t want to take any chances.

As soon as the satellite phone picked up a signal, he dialed Lassiter. They weren’t supposed to have support, but he knew his boss would want to hear from them. Lassiter picked up on the first ring.

“Where the fuck are you?” Lassiter growled into the phone.

“Well, hello to you too.”

“Sean, don’t fuck with me. We’ve had our hands full trying to find you. Is Young there?”

“No. He’s back in the room.”

“Injuries?”

“Young, but just a flesh wound. You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”

Lassiter sighed. “You were hit the same time Jaime was.”

Even after the year apart, his heart lodged somewhere in his throat. He didn’t think he would ever get over her. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah.” He sighed, sounding weary now. “She’s doing fine now.”

Sean wanted to ask more, but he knew Lassiter well enough to know that he wouldn’t tell Sean any more.

“So, you’re saying this was planned?”

“Yes, and it has to do with something you two must have worked on, but I have yet to figure out what it is. I have a transport I can set up on my command. How soon can the two of you get to Bulusan?”

“Slow down. Can’t travel for another day or two.”

“I thought you said Young was okay.”

“He is, but he had some kind of flu. It knocked him down. It will take at least another twenty-four hours. Also, he doesn’t trust you much right now.”

“Damn, and we need him. I’ll make sure to make it up to both of you. Be there on Thursday, midnight, your time. Chuck is going to pick you up.”

He knew the man well, and Lassiter knew that. Especially since they didn’t know who to trust at the moment.

“Gotcha. So, is Jaime going to be okay?”

“She’s fine. We should be back in the states by the time you two get back. Maybe we can put our heads together and figure something out.”

“Got it. See you in a few days.”

He turned off the phone and started on his way back. It wasn’t going to be an easy trip. While Randy had finally gotten some energy, a trek through the rainforest over mountainous areas was going to be hard. They could make it to Bulusan by Wednesday no problem. It gave them three days.

It took him less time to make it back, or at least it seemed like it did. He still tried his best to muddy up his trail just in case anyone was following him. They didn’t need any more problems on this mission.

When he arrived back at the room, Randy was sitting on the bed, ready to go. His pack was beside him, and he was dressed.

“Do we have a transport?”

Sean nodded.

“Let’s go.”

“Don’t you think you should take a little more time?”

The look Randy gave him told him exactly where he thought Sean could stick that idea.

“No. I have a bad feeling, and those usually pan out. We need to get out of here as fast as possible.”

“We have until Thursday at midnight.”

“Someone you trust is going to pick us up?”

Sean nodded. “I’ve worked with Chuck. Former SEAL like yourself, but he lost a leg, so he’s been doing transports.”

“Good. Let’s go. It seems there is a break in the weather, but I heard a couple of the guys talking, and they said they expect a bitch of a storm in about thirty-six hours. We have got to get there before the rain hits.”

“Fuck, this job has been shitty from the first moment we landed. I have to tell you something.” Randy stopped moving and looked at him. “This might have been a retaliatory hit for something I did with my old partner. She got hit around the same time we did.”

Randy sighed. “Well, shit. Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Lassiter is with her wherever she is.”

“Yeah. Let’s get to Bulusan. Last time I was there, I stayed at a nice little resort. They don’t ask questions, especially for the extra cash.

“I think we should lay low.”

Randy shrugged. “The bastards after us are probably long gone. But, if they aren’t, they won’t be looking for us at the resort. Plus, we can just hang out in the room.”

He wanted to say no, and his training told him he should, but instead, he studied Randy. He was a bit pale, and Sean knew he had also dropped a few pounds.

“Listen, I want to make sure that you don’t catch whatever I have. If we’re stuck out in the jungle hiding and you get sick, we’ll miss the transport. At least this way we have a better chance of making it.”

He couldn’t really argue with that and, at the moment, he wanted to just sleep for days. This would give them the option.

“Let’s go.”

Randy smiled. “Great. I’m sure we can come up with something to do with all that time.”