Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (24 page)

“Katrina, welcome.”

“Hi Millard,” Katrina came in without
being asked and Cole followed, giving the man a polite nod.

“Gloria,” Katrina called out into the
house. She turned to Millard who looked surprised at her outburst.

“What’s wrong?”

“Millard, there’s trouble at the mansion.
Is Gloria here? I have to talk to her.”

“Yes, she’s in the kitchen.”

As he said this, Gloria came around the
corner drying her hands on a dishcloth. “Katrina, Agent Nielsen!” Her warm
smile turned to a frown at the look of her visitors. “What’s happened?”

“There’s been a break-in at the mansion. The
staff is being held hostage and they’ve taken Jimmy to another location. A
motel close by.”

Gloria’s mouth fell open. “Oh no!” she
cried, her hand on her mouth. She turned to her husband. “What can we do?”

He hunched his shoulders. “How could this
have happened? And not more than twenty-four hours after the other incident
last night!”

“Maybe they’re related,” Gloria asked.

“We have to call the police immediately,”
Millard instructed as he walked over to the phone.

“No, Sweetie. This is Agent Nielsen,” Gloria
put a hand out indicating Cole. “He’s Secret Service. I’m sure he has a plan.”

Gloria, Millard, and Katrina all looked
at Cole. Again, he nodded. “No police involvement. My team is handling the
situation at the mansion, but it’s Jimmy I’m worried about. We have to get to
him as soon as possible.”

“Yes, of course.” Gloria agreed.

“Needless to say, don’t go to the mansion
for your shift tonight, Gloria.” Katrina hugged the short woman. They both held
their embrace a little longer than intended, their emotions swelling.

Stepping back, Gloria held Katrina’s
shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. “Jacques, Damien, Georges…have
they been hurt?”

“No, they’re being held in the living
room with the entourage. But…” Katrina looked down. “The men who are holding
them are ex-convicts and things could get ugly very fast. We have to do what we
can to end this.”

“How ever did you escape?” Millard asked,
amazed. “Wait, you weren’t followed, were you? Is there a chance those men may
come to our home?”

Cole noticed Millard’s look of concern.
“No, they have no idea we even exist.”

“Cole and I were down on the beach
snorkeling when the break-in happened. We were sitting on our towels drying off
when we heard a number of gunshots and we cautiously approached the mansion to
investigate.”

“You really took a chance then,” Gloria
appeared shocked. “What did you see?”

“We counted five men at the mansion and
then two men left with Jimmy in the SUV. One guy found me in the bushes and
Cole had to, well…”

“Do whatever it took to keep you safe,”
Millard’s eyes burrowed into Katrina’s and then he looked to Cole and nodded.
“I would have done the same. It sounds like life or death over there. I only
hope your friends will remain unharmed. And you’re sure they didn’t see you leave?”

“No, and unfortunately, the hostages
being harmed or not is out of our hands right now, and Agent Kensing’s is
either out of commission or has a plan of his own.”

“You two haven’t worked out a ‘what if’
scenario for such a situation?” Millard looked a little puzzled that the two
agents were so disconnected when they were supposed to be the cream of the
crop.

Cole smirked, trying not to take the
comment personally. “Unfortunately, Agent Kensing is old school and I’ve never
worked with him before. There is protocol, and he knows what it is. The problem
arises if he is unable to fulfill that protocol.”

“And if
we
arm ourselves and go to the mansion
or involve the police?” Millard suggested again.

“There are too many armed men in the
mansion for us to handle on our own. Like I said, we have to assume my fellow
agent is down. Perhaps if this was the movies or something,” Cole threw Katrina
a look, “but I’m realistic. Jimmy is definitely my main priority at the
moment.”

“Where is Jimmy?” Gloria asked.

“The guy Cole questioned said a motel
near a park. Shouldn’t be too hard to find since motels seem to be a thing of
the past here on the island,” said Katrina.

“It has to be the old Prospect Motel over
near the Arboretum,” Gloria clarified.

“It must be that one,” Millard agreed.
“It’s land-locked so no one wants to stay there anymore because the walk to the
beach is too far. Only short-term renters and groups of broke college kids stay
there now and the place looks like it hasn’t changed in thirty years. My cousin
upgraded most of the plumbing there a few years back, though I don’t know why
the owner even bothered.”

“Yes, he said it was practically falling
down.” Gloria scrunched her face and put a hand across her heart. “Poor Jimmy,
having to stay is such terrible conditions with those horrible men!”

“Yes, at this time of the year there’d be
no chance of prying eyes watching them around that motel. That’s your place for
sure,” Millard said, convinced.

“That’s where we’ll go then.” Cole looked
over at Katrina who acknowledged that they should be going.

“Hold on, what do these men want exactly?
Mr. Winters’ isn’t even there so it can’t be about money.”

Cole shook his head. “As it turns out,
Secretary Mitchell is a very wealthy man, and even more so now since his wife’s
inheritance. His assistant hired her brother and a group of his convict friends
to raid the mansion and hold Jimmy ransom for five million dollars.”

Gloria turned to Cole. “What can we do to
help you?”

“We need your car,” he instructed.

“Of course, take either one,” Millard
offered without hesitation.

“And Gloria, I need to borrow some
clothes.” Katrina looked down at herself.
 
Gloria nodded in agreement. “Yes,
Maisa’s should fit you. Come with me.”

They said their goodbyes and hopped into
Millard’s black jeep, assuring Gloria that they would do their best to make
everything okay.

With
the top down, the night’s balmy air surrounded them and Katrina was grateful
for the outfit and runners Gloria had lent her. Looking over at Cole as he
changed gears, Katrina’s face was stony, serious. The danger of their impending
rescue was sinking in now. She knew they would be facing large men with guns
willing to cut down anyone at a moment’s notice.

As Cole sped down the Bermudan road in
the darkness, Katrina’s legs began to turn numb and her mind raced with
potentially dangerous outcomes. She decided then and there she wanted to live a
full life, have a family of her own, and enjoy her freedom. Would taking part
in this rescue leave her with a serious injury or dead? Had she just traded her
freedom from Cameron for another type of entrapment?

Glancing at Cole again, his blond hair
unruly and wind-swept, his tanned muscular forearm tensing as he gripped the
wheel, she knew she would go to the ends of the earth with him. She felt so
close to him, on a level she’d never experienced before. She knew in that
moment that she would go wherever and do whatever it took to help keep him
safe. They were in this together.

Chapter Nineteen

Cole slowed the jeep
down as he cut a sharp right onto Lane Hill. Picking up speed, he passed
several vehicles chugging along, the occupants oblivious to the perilous
situation at hand. Katrina envied their ignorance and wished she could join in
their calm complacency.

Merging effortlessly
onto Cavendish Road, he notched the jeep into fifth gear once the road was
clear for a long stretch. Katrina held on to the armrest, her knuckles turning
white as they drew closer to the terrifying unknown. The motel was just up
ahead on Middle Road on the right, smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Why
anyone would open a motel on this deserted stretch was beyond reason.

“It’s just there, Cole,”
she pointed to the orange neon sign up ahead. Although the sign was missing a
few letters, there was no mistaking the name Prospect Motel. Cole slowed down,
turning off the headlights, and cruised past. He looked past Katrina and
scanned the parking lot.

“The SUV,” he nodded in
its direction.
 

Katrina noticed how wild
his eyes looked – wild yet focused like an animal after it’s prey. Cole
was circling and Katrina knew she’d better stay with the program or be left in
his wake. She noticed he’d pulled his gun out and laid it in the console in
preparation. She felt so wrong for this mission, so unprepared. She began to
take in a few deep breaths, trying her best to calm her pounding nerves,
certain Cole must hear her heart’s break-neck palpitations.

Pulling onto the gravel
shoulder, Cole turned the wheel aggressively. The billows of dust rose into the
air as the jeep circled back around. As the wide treaded tires found asphalt
again, they screeched slightly and the sound brought Katrina into the present
with a start.

“What’s the plan?” she
hollered over the motor’s engine.

“Don’t know yet.”

“Okay, but you’ll have
one eventually, right?” Katrina didn’t want to doubt Cole, but she was finding
it hard to maintain her composure.

“I have to gather more
information.” Cole shot her a look, finally noticing her frantic expression. He
smiled gently, attempting to put her at ease. “I’m not going to charge in with
guns blazing, Spitfire, so no need to worry. I’ll be smart about it. Jimmy’s
life is at stake…and yours too. I’d never jeopardize that.”

Katrina’s gaze lingered
as Cole’s watched the road ahead. He had complete command of the situation.
Cole parked the jeep on the soft shoulder at a distance from the motel. With
the engine off, they sat pensive and again an involuntary nervous numbness
crept into Katrina. Would she be able to rely on her own legs?

“Cole, I…”

“Katrina, it’s okay. I’m
the one going in. I just need you to watch out for me and make sure everything
goes well. Here.” Cole handed her the dead man’s machine gun firmly.

Katrina stared at it
with wide eyes and then glanced at Cole, swallowing hard. “I can do it. You can
count on me,” she stammered slightly, internally conjuring up her courage for
him.

Cole leaned over and put
an arm around the back of her neck, bringing her so close that they touched
foreheads. “I know I can count on you. You have more fire in you than anyone.
You’ve proven that already.” Their eyes locked and Cole found her mouth,
passionately reassuring her in his own intimate way. Katrina reached out with
her free hand and gripped his strong forearm. Their mouths released and Cole
kissed her forehead tenderly before sitting back – his trademark
reassurance. “Are you ready?”

“Don’t ask. Let’s go.”

With Cole in the lead,
she crouched down behind him as they ran from car to car in the motel parking
lot.

“I have to get closer,”
Cole instructed over his shoulder. He stopped for a moment and turned. “I need
to put you somewhere safe for a minute.” Looking around, he motioned to the
bushes under the neon sign. Reaching back, he grabbed her hand and led her over
to it. “Wait here.” There was no room for argument. “Watch the surrounding
area.”

Hunkering down, Katrina
clutched the gun defensively in her still white-knuckled hands. She tried
everything to stop trembling, but it was no use. While watching the beautiful
agent agilely stride over to the SUV, she thought back to the day when she
first met Cole on the beach. She’d been so short with him, abrasive. She’d
actually believed he was a little slow! If only she’d known then how wonderful,
capable, and courageous he was. A true-life Thor.
Her
true life Thor.

She had no idea what she
would do without him now. The warmth that spread over her with the thought, the
immense power she suddenly felt in that safe knowledge, made her feel
invincible. Under the eerily lit neon motel sign, Katrina felt too open, too
unprotected, so she half crouched and ran toward Cole. But as he looking back,
she noticed his face drop with disappointment – the expression making her
insides drop too.