Waiting... On You (Force Recon Marines) (21 page)

Illuminating the dial on her
wristwatch told Hanna that it was two a.m. It had been a long night, but well
worth it. On the back porch, Nick took his cell phone off his belt and called
Kurt to tell him to shut it down for the night.

The FBI agent had already done that.
He and his wife were spending the night in a Bed and Breakfast near the
lighthouse on Vancouver Point, and he was just getting into bed when Nick
called. The men arranged to meet at Kurt’s office in Seattle the following day,
in order to review the digital photographs Hanna had taken and meet with a
couple of DEA agents. In the background, Nick heard Kurt’s wife remind her
husband to invite them to dinner afterward.

Hanna found it interesting that Nick
hadn’t told Kurt about the tubes of heroin he’d pilfered.

She was just about to ask him about it
when he said instead, “Shall we sail your Emerald Mermaid to Seattle tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.”

“Want to stay overnight at Kurt and
Trisha’s? They asked. I said I’d check with you.”

“We don’t have to bother them. If we
get there early enough, I think we can rent a slip overnight at the public
marina near where they live.”

Nick opened the porch door for Hanna.

“Want to come in for some coffee?” she
asked as he rubbed a tired hand over his face.

“No, not tonight. I’m beat, and you
look like you’re ready for bed as well. Get some sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”

She trailed a fingertip along his
cheek, making a streak through his greasepaint. “Come over for breakfast in the
morning, and then we’ll take the Zodiac across the bay to my boat.”

Nick nodded and gave her hand a
squeeze. “Thanks for all the help tonight. See you in the morning around
eight.”

Hanna glanced at her watch one more
time and groaned. “Goodnight, Nick. Sleep well.”

He waited on the steps until she went
inside and turned on the light. Sleep well, huh? Not likely, even though he was
tired. He’d been home two weeks, and being with the lovely doctor everyday had
simply sharpened his desire for her. While he treasured her friendship, he
wanted more. He wanted her in his arms, in his bed. The need to make love to
her was getting voracious. Even tonight, tired as he was, it had been hard to
leave her.

By the time he reached his own
bedroom, though, he was happily indulging in fantasies of tomorrow’s overnight
trip to Seattle, deciding it just might end up being a hell of an opportunity.
Pleasant visions of sharing the close accommodations of her sloop, including
that big odd-shaped bed under the foredeck, teased his thoughts as he drifted
to sleep.

CHAPTER
15

THE NEXT AFTERNOON, KURT PALMER
introduced Hanna and Nick to the two DEA agents who had agreed to quietly
assist with the investigation. Web Montel was the older of the two, in his
mid-forties. He had long, unruly, brown hair, and was dressed like a biker—
tattoos, black leather, and chains. Seth Haru was a younger man with a Japanese
ancestry. He had long black hair pulled into a slim ponytail, and he was
wearing expensive designer slacks and a black silk shirt.

The two agents were complete opposites
in appearance, but they had been partners for over ten years, and between them,
they held a vast array of knowledge about the drug activity in the Pacific
Northwest. The Chinese Triad was one of their areas of expertise, and Seth Haru
was working undercover with a gang in Vancouver, Canada.

Hanna couldn’t imagine a more
dangerous job than working undercover in such a violent organization. Except
Nick’s. She knew he had worked in South America and other hot spots around the
world where illegal drugs were produced and transported. It was probably a
miracle he had survived special operations for twenty years. Either her prayers
had been particularly effective, or God had placed a particularly strong
guardian angel on his broad shoulders.

Kurt had the photographs she and Nick
had taken the night before laid out on his big desk as the meeting got
underway. Hanna was elated with how well they had come out. They clearly showed
the faces of the four men in the first two speedboats; the ones that had come
into the bay with the heroin. They were all of Asian descent.

The two DEA agents bent over the desk
and sorted through the first grouping, but they failed to recognize any of the
delivery men. Kurt brought forth the next set of photographs; the ones taken of
the pick-up men and their boats. To Hanna’s delight, there was even a clear
image of a registration number on one of the boats. For the most part, the
faces of the men in the boats were clearly identifiable, as well. One in
particular looked vaguely familiar to Hanna. He resembled the man who had
stopped to help her with her flat tire several weeks ago.

When she pointed that out, Web Montel said
he recognized the man, too. He even knew his name. According to the DEA agent,
he rode with a club that had a reputation for violence, crime, and drug
dealing.

Web explained that besides going
undercover into various biker gangs that were engaged in illegal activities, he
was also a member of a legitimate motorcycle club. He admitted he wasn’t simply
“in costume.” His enthusiasm for motor bikes immediately led to a short
conversation about Nick’s new Harley. After that, the topic returned to the
issue at hand.

“Those of us who love the life don’t
like the guys giving us a bad rep,” he stated. “A lot of the bikers in this
guy’s club hang out and live along the Hood Canal. Yancy’s Bar and Grill is a
popular meeting place for many of them. Masters, himself, is an old Angel— a
no-good one, with a long criminal record of violence and drug dealing, though he’s
been clean, on paper at least, for a long while. We’ve actually been keepin’ an
eye on him for some time. The DEA suspect he’s involved with some bigger fish.
He’s used to peddling small stuff, marijuana and amphetamines. If he’s
connected with the Triad, and it looks like he might be, then we’ve got one
hell of a nasty operation going on in your little neck of the woods, Colonel.”

Seth Haru agreed. “I’ve been working
in Vancouver’s Chinatown for a while, and word has it, the head of this branch
of the Triad has just set up residence somewhere in the region. He’s been
running things from Indonesia, but I hear that he decided his operation needed
more direct supervision because business was growing so fast.” The agent reached
into a leather portfolio he had on the desk, and pulled out an 8x10 photograph.
The only person who registered any reaction was Nick.

“Li Chen!” His face darkened with
anger. “I thought the bastard never left the Triangle.”

It’s reputed he won’t enter the United
States, legally or illegally. That’s why he’s operating out of Canada. We
haven’t been able to get any good information about where he’s set up house.
What do you know about him, Colonel Kelly?”

“I killed his brother in Thailand two
years ago. My unit was involved in a joint campaign with some of your agents.
We shut down a series of opium fields and processing laboratories in some of
the more remote regions of Indonesia, Bangkok, and even Hong Kong. Some of the
raw product was from Afghanistan. Chen’s brother was overseeing the operation
in Thailand and the shipment of the refined stuff out of the country. When we
raided one of his plants near Bangkok, he and Li Chen were there. Li got away.
His brother didn’t.”

Nick rarely talked about the specifics
of any of his missions. Hanna envisioned him in the scenario he’d just painted.
It frightened her to think how often his life was at risk. He had such a
perilous job, such a dangerous lifestyle. She rarely let herself dwell on it.
Long ago, she had learned to lock away her fears for him. His life truly was
always in the hands of God.

“I got the registry number and country
of origin off the freighter that brought the stuff in last night,” Kurt told
them, pointing to one of his photographs taken from atop the Vancouver Point lighthouse.
“It’s registered out of South Korea. I checked this morning with the port
authorities. It docked late last night in Seattle. Customs searched the
freighter, and found a variety of imports— furniture, food, clothing, etc.
Nothing illegal.”

“Sure. They dropped all of that off
out there in the Strait,” Nick reminded him.

“Did you see those speed boats
unloading the freighter?” Hanna asked Kurt.

The agent nodded. “I was able to get a
pretty good look with the help of some special equipment,” he confirmed.

“Well, now we know that they were
unloading heroin.”

“It’s not quite that simple, Doctor
Wallace,” Seth answered her. “And we don’t want the delivery guys right now. We
want the suppliers. Then we’ll round up the mules.”

All the men apparently agreed with
that strategy. But Hanna didn’t. “A young high school girl died a week ago of
heroin overdose,” she reminded them crisply. “It probably came from the smugglers
we saw last night— Yancy Masters and his Triad buddies. And what about Dylan?
One of those mules probably killed him when he caught them hauling up those
cylinders full of heroin. And Lance? They might have killed him, too, because
he saw something he shouldn’t have. How many people have to die before you
arrest someone?”

Kurt and the other two agents gave her
sympathetic looks. “What good would it do us to arrest the middle men? The
Triad would have new guys peddling the stuff within a day or two.”

Nick reached over and covered her
fisted hand with his. “It’s better to get the guys bringing it into this
country, rather than just the scum here who peddle it, Hanna.”

“But that young girl, my brother, and
maybe yours have died because of all this. Someone has to answer for it!”

“They will,” Nick promised her, his
gaze reassuring and determined.

“Look, folks,” Web said, rising to his
feet to stand beside Seth. “We’ve got to go for now. But we’ll work with you on
this. We’ll find out what we can, and get back to you, as soon as possible.”

“Thanks for the help so far,” Nick
told them, standing to shake the hands of the two DEA agents. “The info you’ve
given me today was extremely valuable.”

“Good.” The two men walked to the
door. “Glad to help, especially if it will put a faction of the Triad out of
business for a while. We’ll see what we can dig up on Chen’s whereabouts,
Colonel.” Seth Haru looked to Kurt. “I’ll keep in touch with you through Web.
I’ll be going deep for a while.” Both men then turned to Hanna. “Nice meeting
you, Doctor Wallace.”

“Take care, Mr. Haru,” Hanna said
earnestly.

KURT TOOK HANNA AND NICK back to
Elliott Bay Marina, where the Emerald Mermaid was docked. The wooden sloop was
moored in the last slip, and because it was a public dock, it was always full
on the weekends, particularly in the summer. Hanna considered herself extremely
lucky to have gotten a slip earlier that morning.

Kurt came onboard with them and sat
down on the white leather upholstered seat that curved around the aft deck,
directly behind the big brass steering wheel. After checking his preference,
Hanna got him a bottle of beer and herself a soda from the cooler, while Nick
went downstairs to shower and dress for dinner.

A half hour later, he returned,
dressed in a pair of tan slacks, another of his polo shirts, and a
cream-colored sport jacket. He looked mouthwateringly gorgeous.

“The head is all yours,” he informed
Hanna as he twisted the cap off his bottle of beer and sat down next to Kurt.

“I’ll try to hurry,” she replied,
reluctant to get up and walk away from Nick.

“Don’t,” Kurt advised. “Trisha doesn’t
expect us for another half hour or so.”

Hanna took a little extra time
dressing. They were going to Kurt’s for dinner, and it was almost like a real
date with Nick. She wanted to look pretty for him. Actually, she wanted to look
unforgettable, but she didn’t think that was possible being the ordinary woman
that she was.

When she reappeared on deck twenty
minutes later, she was wearing a white cotton eyelet sundress with a tucked in
waist and full skirt. With its wide-strapped halter top and scooped neckline, it
highlighted the tan she had acquired the past week working outdoors with Nick.
She wore a pair of red wedge-heeled sandals that added an additional three
inches to her height. She was also wearing the jade earrings and necklace Nick
had given her. The pendant hung on a delicate gold chain around her neck. It
was a heart within a heart. From the moment he’d sent it to her, she’d wondered
if he’d meant anything by choosing such a symbol. For her, it had meant hope.
Hope that someday his heart and hers would be joined.

The moment she stepped out onto the
aft deck, the men halted their conversation in mid-sentence and simply stared
at her. Kurt gave her a quick smile of appreciation, then looked at his
friend’s shell-shocked expression and chuckled. Hanna did the same, but she
wasn’t laughing, or even smiling.

Nick wasn’t aware of anything but the
woman standing in front of him. She rendered him speechless, she was so lovely.
For such a shy, unpretentious woman, she had an unexpected eye for clothes that
inconspicuously set off her fantastic figure. This dress contoured her shape to
perfection. His eyes dropped to her red sandals. With their wedged heels, they
made her long shapely legs go on and on forever. His gaze traveled slowly back
up her figure, taking measure of every one of her slender curves. He wanted to
touch her so badly, he had to jam his hands into his pant pockets. Damn, it was
going to a tough evening, at least until he could get her back here alone!
Barring any unexpected developments, he had plans for their night together
aboard her boat.

Hanna shifted nervously under the
men’s silent scrutiny. “Are you guys ready to go?”

Kurt got up and started out ahead of
them. Nick stood and captured Hanna’s elbow, stopping her for a moment before
she could follow. “You’re going to drive me crazy all night, Doctor, but you
look gorgeous,” he murmured into her ear, against her silky soft hair. His
fingertips slid down one bare arm, caught her hand and held on firmly as they
headed off the sloop and after Kurt.

The Palmers’ two-story condominium was
not far from the marina. There was a great view of Elliot Bay from the upper
floor living room and the balcony beyond it. Kurt’s wife, Trisha, had set the
table on the patio, so the four of them could enjoy the warm evening while they
ate. By the time they arrived, dinner was ready and waiting. Kurt poured
everyone a glass of wine before they went outside to eat.

As it turned out, Hanna knew Kurt’s
wife. She had worked with Trisha at Harbor View Medical Center when she’d been
a resident doctor there, several years ago. They hadn’t seen each other since,
but they got caught up quickly as they recalled mutual acquaintances.

Hanna had always liked Trisha. She was
a dedicated skilled ER nurse, and they had always been able to talk to one
another easily, without the status interference that often hindered her
relationships with other female hospital employees. Most of the nurses Hanna
worked with were deferential to her because she was a doctor and head of ER.
Her quiet demeanor probably didn’t help. She’d never found it easy to strike up
a conversation with a stranger or casual acquaintance. Trisha had been
different; easy to talk to, naturally friendly and unpretentious. It was a
pleasure to renew their friendship.

It was also a rare pleasure to spend
the evening with Nick in a purely social setting. Casually and repeatedly, he seemed
to find dozens of different and subtle ways to touch her all through dinner and
afterward.

When the meal was finished, Trisha
served dessert, and by the time, they finished that, it had gotten dark
outside. Their hostess lit the candles on the table and around the patio, and
they remained for a while, drinking more wine and talking. With his glass in
one hand, Nick slipped his arm around Hanna’s bare shoulders, checking to see
if she was warm enough. His nearness and his persistent attention plus several
glasses of excellent wine all worked a sweet magic on her senses.