On the Line (Special Ops) (11 page)

“Are you all right?”

She looked at him and smiled. “Of course. You know me. I survive.”

He thought he knew her, but that was before she sent him divorce papers. But if he did know one thing for sure she was right, she was a survivor.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

He chuckled. She was worried about him? Well yeah, she was. That’s why she sat on her knees massaging his legs. “I’ve had worse; besides, I think they were saving that for the other guy.” He winked at her.

“How do you do it, Preston? I have always wondered that. How do you show no fear? You just do what needs to be done. I admire that about you—I always have.”

His lips turned upward on their own volition. She was proud of him; she admired him, and something about that made him feel really good. “I have fear, Ariana. It’s just that fear can get you killed. I push that fear out the way and I do what needs to be done.”

“Yeah, you’re one of the good guys, Preston. Your code of honor won’t ever let you turn your back on a mission, an obligation or the chance to right a wrong.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Was she saying his ethics ruined their marriage? Or was he just over processing every word that came out her mouth? He wasn’t sure so he decided to remain silent. Sometimes silence was best. As they walked onward he thought about the challenges they would still face. He had to get them to safety. He had to get them home.

Chapter Nine

“T
hanks,” Zahara hugged
Malachi. Her smaller body pressed against the man’s larger frame and Alex felt a twinge of possessive jealousy rearing its head. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me do this.” Her voice was sweet and soft.

“Anything for you,” he said to her.

Alex didn’t like the looks of the man. He was tall, built like a linebacker and had golden bronzed skin. He was also looking far too possessively at Zahara which made Alex wonder if this “friend,” was really just a friend. She had said this Malachi guy wanted her to come to Egypt and experience his excavation and see the stars. What man offered that without having an ulterior motive? Zahara was gorgeous, smart, and sexy even if she didn’t realize it herself; there was no way this guy was thinking of just being her friend. He probably wanted her to come to Egypt so he could seduce her.

Alex watched Malachi brush the back of his fingers up and down Zahara’s arm and something within him reacted—something primal and possessive. He took a step forward. Jet’s hand caught hold of his arm and steadied him in place.

“Down boy,” he mumbled to him.

Alex growled low.

“Steady,” he said. “We have a mission to complete. Focus, Marine.”

“I am focused,” he grumbled.

“On the mission,” he gave him a crooked grin. “Not on the woman you let get away from you once. When this is over and we get back to the States don’t make the same mistake again.”

“How did you know?”

“Gut feeling.” Jet patted him on the back.

Alex still couldn’t stand to see the way Malachi touched her. He caressed her skin when he should have been keeping his hands to himself. And she hadn’t even stopped him! Didn’t she understand what he was doing? Could she be that blind to a man’s intended seduction that she didn’t understand the lust that man was looking at her with, touching her with? Maybe she wanted it. Maybe she was more than friends with this guy, but that thought didn’t sit too well with Alex either. She had been his one major regret in his lifetime. They were friends and he never pushed for more, but she had been the one woman he had wished he could have claimed as his and in return let her claim him as hers. He was not happy with the visual in front of him right now.

“I’m okay,” he said. As much as he wanted to go show the guy Zahara was spoken for he knew he had to resist the urge. They did have a mission—one of the most important missions of their life because Preston was their friend, their family.

When they met with Preston’s contact he provided them with weapons. He had to expertly hide them amongst supplies they would have used to go to the dig site. After the inspection of a few packs the military men let them pass. They had acquired a guide to take them to the dig site. It wasn’t that they wanted a guide, but it was mandatory. Even though they were traveling as scientists and researchers there was still little trust. Zahara had been right when she said they would need her. Her presence had eased the suspicion some and for that he was thankful.

When they made it to the excavation site and their “chauffer” as Zahara had teasingly called the man, left they were ready to set out on foot. Alex could honestly say if it weren’t for Zahara they would have been beyond suspicious because Zahara was really the only one making the jokes and being playful with the military “chauffer” and because of her ease with the man their cover stayed intact. Thank God for a woman who could think through her anger, fear and stress because she had been their saving grace.

They needed water to take with them. The desert was no place for a man or woman without water. Malachi had provided that for them. He had provided their cover and under the cover of night they were going to set out to find the area where Preston had last been known to be heading. His contact had done a little more digging after they got in touch with him and had found a remote compound where he thought they might be holding Preston and by extension they probably had Ariana there as well. It would take them all night and most of the day, but they were hoping to arrive at the compound by the next nightfall. It could take longer because they would be on foot and even with moving swiftly there were still dangers they would have to watch out for.

They couldn’t borrow the jeep Malachi had for the site. He only had the one and when they were ready to leave for holiday they had to wait for the Egyptian government to come to inspect their site and their belongings and then load them onto a vehicle to head back into the city. A missing jeep would be too obvious. They didn’t have any horses or camels to serve as transportation either. They were essentially on lockdown which for them it didn’t matter because they were there to explore and discover, but for Alex that level of restriction would have drove him crazy. They were virtually caged without the iron bars to hold them—they were still prisoner and at the mercy of some man in order to come or go.

Zahara approached them with a smile on her face as she waved to some of the other students working the excavation and the men who stood guard.

“Well,” she kept her voice low. “We’re all set. Malachi assures me we will have no problem leaving here. I just need to make sure our packs have the water included.”

“I’ve already done that,” Micah said.

“Oh, okay. Good. Um…you three are in that tent by yourselves so you don’t have to worry about trying to get out of there without being noticed.”

“And where will you be?” Alex nearly growled. If she said she would be in Malachi’s tent he wasn’t sure there would be much that could contain his anger. She was right there in front of him and yet still so far out of reach.

“I’ll be over there in that little tent. The one they just set up for me.”

“Alone?” His voice was a low rumble.

“Of course,” she looked at him as if she were trying to figure out what his problem was. “It wouldn’t be appropriate if I were with a man. There is some consideration of religious rules you know.”

“His?” He eyed Malachi who seemed to be eying him too.

“No, some of the workers are Egyptian. Even the Christian Egyptians aren’t big on sex between unmarried couples and all that. Sleeping in a tent with a man wouldn’t be proper and so they all try to abide by the rules of respect for each other. Of course Malachi has told me that sometimes some of the student workers find ways to sneak into each other’s tent at night.”

“As long as he doesn’t try to sneak into yours,” he mumbled nearly under his breath.

“Pardon me?” She looked back to him.

“Nothing,” he said.

“Oh, okay.” She hadn’t heard him and he could tell that from the honest look of innocence on her face. He was glad she hadn’t. They were just getting back to each other he didn’t want to push her away again. He wanted her so badly, and seeing her again had reminded him of just how much, but he wouldn’t rush it without some sign that she wanted things to move faster. He had attempted to gauge her awareness of him. He had invaded her space, got closer to her than he should have or even needed to, in order to see how she would react. For a brief moment he thought maybe she was interested, but he still wasn’t sure. All those years ago he had wanted her and she had wanted only the friendship. Well, he wasn’t the same kid he was back then. He was a man now, one who was ready to go after what he wanted and he wanted her.

Night came swiftly and by the time they all cleared the camp the guys were on full military strategy. Alex kept Zahara close enough to him to almost be on top of her. When he said she was going to be his responsibility he had meant it. She was rarely more than an arm’s distance away from him. They were all going to make it home, alive, in one piece and without any extra holes in them.

“Keep up,” he told her.

“I am keeping up,” she mumbled incredulously.

“That means you stay by my side, not two steps behind me,” he stated simply because in his mind it was simple. He wanted her in a position where he could keep watch on her, not two steps behind him where he couldn’t see her. Micah and Jet were up in front and so there was nobody on her six to make sure she didn’t get lost. It was dark. They were navigating with limited visibility because traveling with the night vision eyewear they had acquired provided some room for sight for them. They had needed at least four so they would have one for Preston, but they could only get three which meant they couldn’t even loan a pair to Zahara for the trek out into the deeper areas of the desert. She had to rely on them to be her eyes when the moon dipped behind the clouds.

Unsatisfied with her lag time he reached back, wrapped one hand around her upper arm and nearly yanked her up to walk beside him. She stifled a startled yelp before glaring up at him. His lips turned upward and he desperately tried to resist laughing. She was cute even when angry. He would have to tell her that one day when he wasn’t trying to focus on not getting killed.

“What happens when we get to the spot that the contact told you all about?” She said softly as not to wake the nightlife. He loved that she was being cautious even without the training.

He had asked himself and the guys what they planned to do once they reached the location Preston’s contact had finally uncovered regarding the possible holding tank. He wasn’t happy about leaving Zahara unguarded, but they were all going to need to go in and since she had no training with weapons and rescue they couldn’t risk her getting captured or killed.

“You’re going to stay where we put you,” he said in just as low of a tone.

“Grand,” she mumbled. “Do I get a gun while you’re away?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Do you even know how to use one?”

“Pont then shoot; what’s so difficult about that?”

He shook his head. “We’ll put you some place safe, but you’re not getting a weapon.”

She had stopped talking so he looked over at her to see what she was doing. He figured she was probably stewing, but when he caught sight of her he noticed she was looking heavenward.

“It’s beautiful; don’t you think?”

“Uh huh,” he mumbled. She was beautiful and that was the view he was taking in.

“This is kind of like old times…you know, when we would lie out underneath the stars in your parent’s backyard.”

“Yeah, those were good times with the two of us until my brother would come out and ruin things.”

“No offense, Alex, but your brother is a total douche.

He chuckled, keeping his voice low. “I know that already. But he is still my brother.”

“I know. Your sense of honor and duty and love won’t let you abandon family. If he were being held hostage somewhere I know you would drop everything to find him.”

“That I would,” he admitted. Despite the crap his family put him through he wouldn’t abandon them if they needed him.

“I guess I just always wished your family would appreciate you. You’re a genius in hiding,” she said. “I could always see how smart you were and I thought your parents, much like mine, would be proud of you.”

“Your parents were proud of you. I’m sure they still are.”

“No…well, yes. But I meant that they were very proud of you. My dad really liked you. He was sad that you went to the military. He thought you should do like I did and go get your PhD in astronomy. He always said you would have gone far in the field if only you had gone that route.”