DeliciousDanger (15 page)

His watch alarm woke him when it was time for shift change.

The first thing he noticed when he left the trailer to
relieve Mike was almost complete blackness. The floodlights he’d insisted on
setting up around the compound were out.

Shit! Now what?

He checked to make sure his AK-47 was ready to fire, slung
it over his shoulder, then pulled his Glock from the small of his back and
racked a bullet into the chamber. Standing still for a moment to orient himself
to night vision, he started slowly toward the warehouse, moving in a low crouch.
Although the big sliding doors were closed, from the far side of the building
he heard the rumble of what sounded like large truck engines. Mike was nowhere
to be seen, nor were the two GC security guards.

Rick’s stomach knotted and the tiny hairs on the back of his
neck stood up. Still in a half crouch, he made his way to the warehouse,
pausing every few seconds to spin slowly around and check behind him. As he
moved closer to the building, he noticed a pile of something crumpled at the
side door. Approaching it with caution, hoping it wasn’t a disguised IED, he
was stunned to realize it was Mike collapsed on the ground, out cold.

“Hey,” he whispered, squatting down next to him. “Mike.
Michael. Come on, get up. Snap out of it.”

But Mike’s body was completely limp, devoid of any response.
Every nerve in Rick’s body went on full alert. For a moment he debated going
back to Ed and waking him but first he’d see if he could catch a glimpse of
what was going on. And where were the fucking guards?

Pressing himself against the metal wall of the building, he
made his way to the corner, the rumbling sound growing louder and louder as he
moved closer to it. What he saw made anger boil up in him like scalded water.
Six huge convoy trucks, lights off, were idling behind the warehouse at the
entrance the construction equipment would use. At least two dozen men were
moving quietly in and out of the building, carrying the arms and munitions the
C-130J had just delivered.

Swinging his rifle to the ready position and using the wall
for protection, he fired a shot into the air.

Everything stopped, a frozen tableau, then the dim bodies
swung around to his direction. In the beam from someone’s flashlights he made
out Amin holding a crate of ammunition.

“Amin! What the hell’s going on here?”

Someone started toward him and he fired a shot at their
feet. The person stopped where he was.

“Did you hear me? Everyone away from the warehouse. Now.”

From the corner of his right eye he saw someone open the
door to the nearest truck. A rifle cracked and searing pain tore through his
chest. He never heard the second shot as he fell to the ground.

Chapter Seven

It had taken Kelly hours to get to sleep. Every time she
closed her eyes she saw images of Rick, images that faded as quickly as they
came. But toward dawn she dreamed she was standing in a cloud with Rick
emerging from it slowly. He was completely naked, his beautiful cock jutting
proudly from his body, and he was holding out a hand to her.

“Come here, pretty girl. I want to touch and taste every
inch of your body.”

She looked down and her nightshirt had disappeared, leaving
her as exposed as he was. A pulse set up an insistent throb deep inside her
cunt, radiating out to every point of her body. Her breasts ached for the feel
of his hands on them, his thumbs brushing her nipples to make them peak and
harden.

When she took her hand he pulled her close to him, his hot
erection pressing against the softness of her tummy. His mouth closed over hers
and his tongue swept inside, gliding over every surface and igniting a live
wire. His hands held her head in place, angling it so he could get a better fit
with their mouths.

She reached automatically for his shaft, closing her fingers
around it and caressing it with soft, slow strokes. He moaned into her mouth
and lifted his lips from hers.

“I want to be inside you. Right now.”

She chuckled softly. “No time for foreplay?” she teased.

“Tell me you aren’t ready for me.” He dropped one hand to
slide his fingers between the lips of her pussy, rubbing the sensitive flesh.
When he raised his hand his fingers were slick with her juice. He licked them
one at a time, ratcheting up the heat racing through her veins.

He backed her against something solid—she had no idea
what—and from somewhere produced a condom.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he told her in a thick, low
voice.

When she did he braced his hands beneath her ass and drove
into her. Hard.

Kelly sucked in her breath and tried to steady herself, but
in seconds he was riding her, thrusting over and over, a hard, fast rhythm that
left her no time to breathe or think. Only time to hold on for dear life as
they climbed the peak together and exploded like a bomb igniting. Kelly was
sure pieces of them went flying everywhere but when she finally looked, no, they
were somehow still intact.

He rested his forehead on hers, his chest still heaving, and
she could feel his heart beating against hers.

“I have to tell you something,” he said at last. Something
in his voice made her uneasy.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

But before he could answer her a vague image took shape in
the darkness, one she couldn’t make out. Then Xena began barking, racing toward
the shape, nose lifted into the air.

A sharp
crack
split the darkness and millions of
multicolored fragments exploded everywhere.

Kelly awoke sweating and panting, pushing at the weight on
her which, once again, was Xena. But this time the dog wasn’t whining. She was
growling and shoving at Kelly, pushing her off the bed.

Her lips pulled back to bare her teeth as the growl grew
louder. When Kelly still sat there, trying to pull herself together, Xena
barked, so sharp and loud it shocked her.

This was strange, because until recently she wasn’t given
much to dreaming. She was one of those rare people able to completely blank her
mind when she fell asleep.

Somehow Xena’s dream was invading her head again. That had
to be it.
What is it, Xena? What do you see? Smell? What is it, girl? Rick!
Oh god. Rick. Xena, is it Rick?

He needs help. Right now.

What can I do?

Call.

I can’t keep calling.

You have to. Make sure everyone knows Rick’s in danger.
Right now. The danger is right this minute.

Her hand trembled as she reached for the phone.

* * * * *

Dan snatched up the cell phone from his desk the minute it
rang. Rick had called on arrival in Baghdad and again after the merchandise was
offloaded. He hoped this was him or one of the others calling to give him an
update before they set up their routine for the night. He was worried because
it was more than ten hours since he’d heard from anyone there again. Trying not
to act like a nervous mother, he’d forced himself to wait for their call,
hoping this was it.

“What the hell’s going on there?” he barked into the phone.

There was a pause, then a female voice said in a tentative
tone, “Mr. Romeo?”

Dan looked at the phone, then did his best to bite back his
anxiety. “Yes, this is Dan Romeo.”

“This is Kelly Monroe again. Did I, um, catch you at a bad
time?”

Dan blew out a breath. “No. Yes. I’m not sure. What can I do
for you?”

“Have you spoken to Rick recently?”

Dan tightened his hand on the phone. “Not for the last
several hours. Why?”

“I think something’s very wrong. Something bad is happening.
Or has happened.”In an uncertain voice, she explained to him the situation with
Xena. “I know you must think I’m crazy.” This was the same worry she’d
expressed in the last phone call. “But I’m telling you, that dog has
sensitivities you can’t even imagine. Something’s wrong and Xena knows it. She
told me.”

A muscle jumped in Dan’s cheek. “Actually, crazy is the last
thing I’d think you were. Especially right now. I haven’t heard from anyone
there in several hours. In fact, I was hoping you were one of them.”

“Can you please try to call Rick?” she pleaded. “And let me
know what you find out?”

Dan began to roll the pen from his desk back and forth
between his fingers. He knew well enough not to discount psychic warnings.
They’d saved Mark’s life and Mia’s and recovered a valuable electronic robot.
For the Hallorans and Romeos the psychic gifts had become integrated into their
lives.

“I’ve been on The Lotus Circle website,” Kelly went on when
he didn’t answer her. “I’m not the only one linking mentally with their animal.
There are more people with the same situation. And Mr. Romeo? The dog’s usually
right.”

“All right. I’ll try to reach them. I’ve got your number
programmed into my phone. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Dan disconnected the call and picked up the secure satellite
phone in front of him. With an uneasy feeling, he punched in the numbers for
the phone his men were holding in Iraq.

* * * * *

The first thing Rick was aware of when he opened his eyes
was something heavy on his chest. The intense pain followed instantly.
Somewhere around him voices were cursing, familiar voices. What was wrong? What
had happened to him?

“Son of a bitch. Help me here.”

Mike. That was Mike’s voice.

Rick wanted to tell him to get the elephant off his chest
but he couldn’t seem to make any sound except a gurgle.

“Can you hurry your ass up?” Mike hollered.

“Coming, coming, coming.”

Ed? Was that Ed?

“I rousted the medics from the dormitory. They’re on their
way.”

“Well, I hope you told them they don’t have too damn much
time to get here.”

The pressure on Rick’s chest eased but he felt himself
fading again. Voices blurred around him and he could have sworn someone was
whispering in his ear. Something important but he couldn’t make it out.

“Hey! Get the hell out of here.”
Mike shouting.
“Go
find your people. Right now.”

“Damn it, keep that pressure on and get the rest of these
people away from here. We don’t need a damn mob scene.”

Why is Mike shouting so loudly? And what’s wrong with my
chest?

Feet shuffled on the tarmac. Strange voices babbled, then
receded. New voices joined the others and someone knelt at his side.

“Mr. Latrobe? Mr. Latrobe, I’m John Malone. I’m going to do
my best to take care of you. Just stay with me, okay?”

Okay. I’m not going anywhere.

He would have laughed if it hadn’t hurt so badly.

“He needs blood,” someone said. “Anyone know what type he
is? Christ, someone did a number on him. Hey, Sam, hustle it up, will you?”

“Thank god Grainger Caldwell insisted on a complete medical
setup here, including whole blood.” Ed was muttering under his breath.“In case
of on-the-job accidents. This sure fits the bill.”

What did Ed want with blood?

“This is gonna be tricky.”
One of the strange voices.
“I’ve
got to clean up the blood, prevent air from moving into the wound and stave off
infection. Ted, let’s pump him full of antibiotics as soon as we get the IV
started.”

More murmuring. More running feet. Something about a
refrigerator.

Then pinpricks in his arm, like the stick of needles.

“Okay.” Another strange voice. “Listen, guys. We’re going to
do our best to stabilize him but he needs to get to a hospital.”

“Can you fix him up so he’ll hold on just until tomorrow
night? We’ve got a medical plane coming with a surgeon. It’s on its way.”

“Yeah but—”

“Just do it. Whatever it takes. And I want one of you with
him at all times.”

“Okay, okay. I guess all that time as a medic in Afghanistan
is finally going to do some good.”

* * * * *

Mike was standing outside by himself away from the trailer.
This was the third time he and Dan Romeo had spoken.

“I’m telling you, Dan. It’s the biggest clusterfuck you ever
saw.” He kept glancing toward the trailer, hoping Ed was riding herd on the
medic with Rick.

“What the hell happened?”

“That asshole Jordan is knee-deep in this and now he’s
disappeared. Left everything behind, as a matter of fact. Just split. His
so-called right-hand man, Amin, is less than useless. Couldn’t even keep his
people together. And I’ll bet whatever GC is paying us he’s involved in this
too. That look of injured innocence and concern doesn’t quite cut it with me.”

“How did they take care of so many guards? They couldn’t
possibly shoot them all.”

“My guess? Jordan and/or Amin doped the coffee they served
with dinner. That’s what they did to us. Ed barely made it through his shift
before collapsing. I drank more than he did and I only made it to the front of
the warehouse. I’d say Rick passed on it. Don’t know if that makes him lucky or
not.” He wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead. “Everything’s gone but
the construction equipment. Every last rifle, gun, bullet. Even the Humvees.”

“They planned this carefully,” Dan said, anger underlining
his words.“Damn it all to hell anyway. What about the local security people?”

“All gone,” Mike told him. “Only the ones we brought over
are still here, trying to shake off the effects of the coffee. And royally
pissed by the way.”

“This was a major operation,” Dan pointed out. “Jordan’s
only part of it. God, Charlie Grainger will bust a blood vessel over this.”

“This is my fault. I recommended Jordan. I said if I was
wrong about him you could skin me alive, so you’d better sharpen your knife.”

“I don’t even want to hear that, Michael. We did a complete
rundown on him. And Rick spent a lot of time with him getting this thing
together.”