For once, I felt peaceful about the fact that I was a woman. I reached my wrinkled hands up and placed them on my bare breasts and for the first time in my life, I was glad I had breasts. Breasts are beautiful. They felt full and firm and by God, I was proud to be a woman.
"What are you doing?"
I heard a slight sensual growl in his tone. I looked over without removing my hands from my breasts and rolled over so I was once again submerged under the water.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I said haughtily. My face flushed slightly.
He grinned.
He looked fantastic, leaned up against that tree dangling his gun from his fingertips. It was the most relaxed I had seen him since the first day in the tent when he quickly ruined my image of him as a gentle, sensitive nerd.
"We should get going," he said, but didn't make a move to crawl back up the hill. "Are you coming?" He grinned shamelessly.
"Uh," I squealed. "I'm naked."
"I can see that." His grin widened and Bella's screaming interrupted us.
"Snnaakkee," I heard her scream loudly, and I have never seen anyone run so fast in my life. She was by Vince's side in a matter of seconds.
He let Bella help him up the hill and I stayed behind to get dressed. It felt wonderful to be clean again, but it didn't last long thanks to the humidity and the dust.
Mystery Man was still perched in the same position when I returned. I had contrived a makeshift canopy for the Jeep so he wasn't exposed to the hot rays of the sun. I managed to wake him long enough to get a couple bites of food down his throat and several gulps of water. He was definitely perking up.
Before we took off, Bella pulled up beside me. Vince looked over at the man.
"Is he hanging in there?"
"Yeah," I said. "I think he'll be fine."
"Good." Vince looked relieved, and that strengthened my suspicions that Mystery Man was the key and that this little African fiasco had nothing to do with Bella's grandfather.
***
Dusk came and went while I helped Mystery Man onto a blanket by the fire.
"Does he have a name or should I keep calling him Mystery Man?" I was hoping that Vince would divulge something to me at this point. "Can you tell me anything? I'm dying here. I'll be satisfied with one tiny bit of data. Paaalleease?" Feminine whining was something I rarely used, but it seemed fitting.
Vince just grinned and helped himself to more chili. I could tell that he wasn't about to tell me one little shred about what he was doing. I think he liked to watch me squirm and he seemed like a true professional, whatever that might be in this case.
Bella took a seat beside me and curled up against my shoulder. I loved that. "You okay?"
"I miss my dad." She started crying. "And I miss my mom. I even miss Gregory and those stupid dogs." She wailed harder and I tightened my grip on her frail shoulder.
I could tell from her build and tall frame already that she took after her father's side of the family. I wasn't even sure what nationality Roald Munson was. I don't think he was Hungarian or French like his mother. Perhaps he was Scandinavian. After all, he did look like a Viking. Bella's long blonde hair blew slightly in the wind before I grabbed hold of it and twisted it into a braid.
"Thanks," she said as I tied a piece of fabric around it to hold it in place. I almost wept at the genuine smile she gave me.
I do want a daughter after all. Girls are great.
Vince watched the stew on the fire and I snuck off to get something from his duffel that I just really had to have.
"That's mine." He grabbed the flask from my hand and took a big swig. Then a sexy smile lit up his face and he handed it back to me.
"Who did you swipe this from?" I asked after I felt the warm tingle of alcohol tickle my blood.
"It's mine," he said.
My eyes opened wide. Son of a bitch. "Ron?" He tilted his head in confusion.
"Rick?"
He laughed aloud and took another swig.
"Robert?" I asked.
"Ryan," he finally said through clenched teeth. "Ryan McNeil, it's nice to meet you."
"You're a pig." I laughed because it felt good to laugh and he looked so cute.
"Sorry. I wasn't sure I could trust you," he said and I actually believed him. I'd probably regret it in the morning, but I believed him just the same.
I looked over at Bella. She was sleeping soundly. I covered her with a blanket and kissed her cheek before tossing another couple of twigs onto the fire.
When I returned to my seat, Ryan was lying on his blanket, the last blanket at that. I guess I was sleeping in the grass.
"So, who is she?" he asked.
I had to take a deep breath because the alcohol was going to my head a lot faster than normal. Then paranoia took over my brain and I started thinking that it wasn't cognac, it was truth serum and I was about to be interrogated by the IRS.
"Roald Munson's daughter," I said as I sat back down and grabbed the flask. I liked how I was feeling and so what if I was about to divulge all my secrets. I didn't have that many anyway.
He grinned and leaned up on his elbow. "That's Nicole Harrison's daughter?" He looked over at Annabelle and whistled.
I didn't really look at it like that since the whore took off with another man and abandoned her only child. "I guess so." Technically, but not in my mind. In my mind, mothers don't just up and leave their children, especially their daughters.
"So, I take it that you thought this was just some Hollywood kidnapping?"
"Honestly, I didn't know what to think until you started breaking peoples' fucking necks. At first I thought that it had something to do with her grandfather, but then all this weird shit started happening with you and now I'm totally fucking convinced that Mystery Man over there is really the key to this whole fucked up situation."
"You cuss a lot more when you're drunk." He grinned and probably thought he was going to get lucky. I sent him a devilish, yet sensual glare.
"I'm not drunk," I said defiantly, but I lied.
"So, who's her grandfather?" Ryan was still sharp as a tack and I was getting more and more numb.
"Claude Munson. He is some diplomat who apparently halted some major coup in Armenia and is now on the run from some pretty intense people. I've heard a couple of different rumors, but I don't know who to believe. Not that it matters, I don't think this is connected."
"Never heard of him."
That was probably a good sign. If the spy-dude hadn't known about Bella, then chances were she was safe from the wild-Turkians, or whoever was after her grandfather. I started laughing at that point because I was feeling pretty loose and for the life of me, I couldn't think of what inhabitants of Turkey called themselves. They most likely just called themselves Turkeys for all I knew.
Turks! I slapped my knee when the answer finally came to me.
Ryan gave me a quick glance. I looked at his face and decided I liked Vince better. He didn't look like a Ryan.
I leaned back against the rock behind me and looked directly through the fire and into his eyes. He had great eyes. Very large and dark and his lashes were longer and darker than mine were when I was wearing mascara. It just wasn't fair. "So, who is he?" I leaned forward on my elbows. "I promise I won't ask you another thing." I thought I could keep that promise, but I wasn't completely sure so I crossed my fingers and hoped he couldn't see them over the bright amber flames.
"Let me ask you something first." He sat up and adjusted his position before taking a long pull from the flask. "How did you manage to kill six men all by yourself?"
I closed my eyes. I didn't like the term kill. It sounded barbaric and so unlike anything that I would ever do. I reopened them and wanted to be closer to him. I wasn't thinking about how sexy he was sitting there all bashed and bruised. I was thinking about comfort and companionship. I was lonely and after the previous night, I just needed a hug.
I got up slowly and moved over to the blanket, keeping m
y eyes directly on his. My expression must have softened and my vulnerability must have been clear in my gaze because he held out his hand and I took it. I curled into the V that his legs made and leaned back against his chest. I still hadn't breathed since I fled to his arms and when his arm tightened against my waist, I finally exhaled and relaxed my shoulders.
I felt safe in his arms. Then I took another swig of cognac and stared into the fire for a minute or two. "It wasn't my first time," I finally confessed and my throat tightened when he tensed. I felt a change in his body, but his arm stayed wrapped tightly around me, and he gently, yet urgently pressed a kiss against my temple.
"Where?"
"Bosnia."
No words were exchanged after that for a heartbeat or two. We just sat in silence and looked into the fire. The howls at the full moon had me shivering and leaning even closer to his chest, if that was even possible.
I didn't really feel like getting into a pissing contest with this Marine, so I tried to change the subject. "Do you want to take the first shift?"
"What made you join the Army?" He apparently didn't want to change the subject.
I blew out a breath in resignation.
What the hell, I was drunk, I was in the arms of a secret agent man that I would never see again and I had just survived the most hellacious week of my life.
"My father said 'college or the Army.' I was a rebel and didn't like the way he demanded that I go to college and make something of myself, so I joined in defiance."
"That answers why you joined," he whispered. His breath was hot against the back of my neck, sending small shockwaves somewhere south of my navel. "Why did you stay?"
"I loved it after I got through the first year. I learned a lot about who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. Besides, I was pretty damn good at what I did," I said with pride. "How about you?"
"I always knew I wanted to be a Marine."
I should have guessed that. "How long were you in for?" I could feel his hot breath on my neck again.
"How do you know I'm not still with the Marines?"
"I don't," I said and shrugged my shoulders. "I was just grasping at straws, hoping you would tell me what the heck you are doing out here."
"I could tell you." I could sense that he was smiling because of his playful tone. "But then I'd have to kill you."
"Ha, ha." I slapped his arm and leaned my head against his collarbone. I hadn't had a moment of intimacy like this with a man in years. It seemed odd that I was curled up in practically a stranger's arms, but I liked it…a lot.
"What are your plans when we finally get out of here?" he asked as his fingers tickled up and down my bare arm. It felt nice.
"I have two more semesters at UCONN until I finish my master's degree, so I hope I won't get fired when I get back because I'm…so close." I closed my eyes and emphasized that last part. I had worked so damn hard to get where I was and I really didn't want to leave Bella. She needed me.
I squeezed my eyes shut to discourage the tears but they came anyway. I don't even fully understand why. I hadn't cried when I killed six men. I hadn't cried when brain matter erupted from a man's head in front of my eyes so why now, what the hell?
I figured a man like Ryan would be uncomfortable with a woman breaking down in front of him, so I reined in my emotions and took a couple of deep breaths.
"You okay?"
"Fine," I snapped because I wasn't.
"I'll take the first watch." He moved away from me and hobbled over to the rock with gun in hand. "You get some sleep, I might need you tomorrow and I need you sharp."
I didn't know what he meant by that, and I hoped that he hadn't kept something important from me.
Then again, he was a master of deception.
***
I woke up with a crick in my side and rolled over before I realized that the fire was almost completely out. I sat up and looked over at Secret Agent Man. He was sawing logs from an upright position. Head slumped forward on his chest. It looked incredibly uncomfortable. I got up, stretched my back and tossed more wood on the fire to keep the animals from eating us while we slept.
Ryan woke abruptly just as I was lying back down.
"Sorry," he said with a yawn.
I didn't blame him. He had to be in horrendous pain and after all, we did finish off that flask of cognac. "Don't worry about it. The fire should be fine until morning. Go back to sleep."
He crawled around the fire and nudged me with his knee. I guess I wasn't the only one looking for companionship and comfort. He pulled me close in a comfortable spooning position and we fell asleep within minutes.
***
Ryan must have awakened early, because when I heard the first moan of a peacock, I immediately noticed that I was missing something.
"We need to get going." He had already managed to cook up a can of beans and had Bella fed.
I needed water, coffee and a couple of Vitamin Bs. Hangovers suck in civilization, but they are murder in the savanna. The sun was already relentlessly beating down from the sky, and I swear that it had grown since yesterday. In fact, I think it was still growing and eventually, it was going to swallow us up and deep-fry us like a batch of French fries.
I swiped my brow with the back of my hand. Ryan handed me a canteen and I sipped slowly, taking every drop into my throat with control. We still had at least one more day out here and it wouldn't be too much longer before the Jeeps ran out of gas.
Bella helped me with the African gentleman and we got him into the backseat without incident. It was so much easier when he was awake.
"Hello," I said as a kind greeting. "I'm Charlie." I hoped he spoke English, because I was driving him again that day and I'd hoped to have a few questions answered. I just couldn't let it go that I wasn't privy to this super secret operation. I don't give up. I am a woman after all and damn proud of it.
"Armand," he spoke slowly and nodded in acknowledgment. His voice was forced and raspy. "Where are we?"
I loved his accent. Very cool. I shrugged. "I have no idea." I could see over my shoulder that Secret Agent Man was growing more and more nervous.
"You know," I heard him say and then he jumped on one foot over to my side, "I think I might be okay to drive today. Why don't you give Bella a break and I'll take…," he looked over at Armand as if he didn't know his name. Yeah right.
"Armand," the African man spoke again, and Ryan nodded.
"I'll take Armand."
Boy, he was so slick, but I had to agree because the terrain was looking portentous and we were nearing a ridge that seemed impassable. If we lost a vehicle at that point, I didn't see how we would be able to make it to the little imaginary line in the sand.
"Fine." I nodded as a kind gesture to Armand and then glared at Ryan. "Yell, if you have trouble and…and… don't crash."
I am so not smooth. I just can't come up with good zingers. I shook my head back and forth in resignation as I approached the other Jeep. Bella had already moved over. She probably saw the scowl on my face and knew that I wouldn't be up to arguing.
"You okay?"
"I will be when I get you out of here." I smiled and started the engine.
We needed the double gas tanks on the back of the Jeeps at that point. We had just made it over the precarious ridge and I do have to say that those corny Jeep commercials on TV don't lie. I was amazed at where I could drive in that thing. I may have to rethink my Ford Expedition idea and go for one of these babies. I was really enjoying how it handled.
I waved to Ryan when the main tank read empty and then I pulled over under a tree to hook up the backup tank. It was a quick maneuver and then I moved over and did it for the crippled men. Ryan was driving incredibly well for someone with a broken appendage, he cringed only a couple of times.
Okay, I have to admit he was much stronger than I was in every way. I, for one would be crying for my father, the doctor, if my ankle was that swollen and blue and twisted. The sight of it alon
e had me wincing in pain, but Ryan? Wow, he was amazing. It was probably that whole Yoga— Zen mentality and he just willed himself not to feel pain.
When the sun was finally behind us, we stopped for lunch. Ryan demanded that we keep going and was adamant about it this time, so adamant that his gun kept rising in the air again and he was saying fuck every other word.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Charlie. We have to keep fucking going. It's not much fucking further."
"Eat," I told Bella and handed her a can of beans. Cold beans, because buffoon refused to let me build a fire.
"What's the gosh dang deal?" Since I was close to civilization again, I knew it was time to clean up my potty mouth and return to Poppin's mode. "You said it wasn't that much further, and the bad guys are way over there." I pointed north.
He flushed slightly and he wouldn't meet my gaze.
That's when I barreled toward his Jeep, wrapped my fingers in the cotton of his filthy tee-shirt and yanked hard. His nose bumped mine and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Dude." I can't believe that I uttered that word, but I did. So sue me. "You said that there were most likely thirty men with guns to the north, so we went the long way. We came west. We're almost there. Are you not giving me all the information?"
He was clearly becoming irritated with my ranting and the fact that I was strangling him with his own shirt. "I never said there weren't un-friendlies to the west. You just assumed."
I hauled back and punched him clean in the jaw.
"Chaka Khan!" I shouted loudly and retracted my throbbing fist. "OUCH," I screamed at the sky, and shook the pain out with a couple flicks of my wrist.
He was clearly rattled. I could tell that by the look in his eye, it wasn't quite focusing on my face. "What the hell did you do that for?" he sputtered once he realigned his jaw.
"Ooohhh." As if he didn't know. "I wanted to hit someone and it certainly wasn't going to be Bella or Armand, so I chose you. You, the man who has been lying to me since the minute we met. You are the man who convinced me to trust you. You, the man who makes me so darn mad I want to spit. You. Deserved. It."