Waiting... On You (Force Recon Marines) (33 page)

“Okay, you can go— up to a point. I’ll
take you with me to the island, but not necessarily inside the compound.”

Her eyes sparkled with a happy smile
before she cast them to the map spread out on the queen-sized bed. She pointed
to a place on the north end of Vancouver Island that was entitled Stormy
Harbour. “Is this where Yancy told you Lance was?”

Nick nodded as his index finger joined
hers on the map. “Just above Stormy Harbour, right about there, below the
northern most tip of Holberg Inlet. Yancy said the place sits atop a high rocky
headland overlooking the bay. The whole thing is surrounded by an electrified
fence. I’m going to call in for some satellite photos of the area tomorrow.”

“You can do that?”

“I have the clearance and the
authority. Depending on the weather and the clarity, the photos may give us a
picture of Chen’s property, maybe even some good close-ups. I’ll match the
pictures up with a variety of topographical maps. I also want to check the nautical
maps, like this one of yours. We’re going to need to see a map of the logging
roads, too. We’ll find the best way to approach and enter the complex.”

“Won’t you have to find out exactly
where Lance is being held?”

“It would help. We should be prepared
to set up a bare minimum camp close by; some place well-hidden, while I conduct
some on-site reconnaissance.”

“Are we hiking in then? Backpacking?”

“No, I think we ought to rent ATV’s.
That way we don’t have to carry all that gear in, and we can get out faster if
we need a speedy escape, although it would be nice to get out by boat.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Nick
swung out of bed and walked across the room to her desk. Hanna looked up from
her map to enjoy the view. Naked, Nick was an absolute pleasure to behold. From
behind, his back rippled with muscle. His shoulders were broadly cut. His waist
narrowed smoothly to perfectly round tight hard buttocks that Hanna loved
running her palms over and squeezing. Below them, his legs were thick with
sinewy bands of muscle along his thighs, tapering to calves that bulged hard as
rocks. At six foot four, his two hundred and forty pound frame was all hard,
sculpted muscle, distributed on his long big body in perfect proportion. He
looked incredibly strong, and yet she knew, first hand, how very gentle he
could be, with her, with his mom, with Christopher, and with tiny Katie. It was
no wonder she loved him enough to have waited this long for him. How many men
in the world were there like him?

When he came back to her bed, he had a
notepad and pen in his large hands. He sat back down next to her, oblivious to
the fact she had been so openly admiring all his attributes.

“I’m going to make a list of all the
equipment we’ll need, and you can help me start putting it together tomorrow.
We’ll start with a float plane.”

“A float plane? Why not my Emerald
Mermaid?”

“A plane is faster— for getting there
and getting out.”

“Can you fly a float plane?”

“I can fly anything I have to,” he
answered her without conceit. “So can Kurt.”

“I guess there isn’t anything you
recon guys can’t do.”

“Not after twenty years in the field,”
he said, again smiling without arrogance at her. “Eventually, we’re trained to
do just about everything and anything that needs to be done in the military.”

“So, we’re going to travel by plane
and all-terrain vehicles. What kind of camping gear do you want?” she asked,
watching as he jotted down more items. “Everything we take needs to be
waterproof. It rains a lot at the northern end of Vancouver Island, even in the
summer. Much of it is rainforest, just like the Olympic National Park.”

“We need good waterproof backpacks,
coats, and shoes; zip locked food and gear.”

She continued to watch his mind and
hand work to formulate a list, which, at the moment, consisted of a small
arsenal of weapons. There were several different types of grenades, which she
asked about.

Nick described them for her. “There’s
the standard fragmentation type that kills or severely injures anyone in its
range of detonation. We’ll take a few of those. Then there are the flash-bang
grenades that stun and create a sudden bright light that temporarily blinds and
disables all within its range of flash. Then, one I imagine we’ll particularly
need, that’s called a chaff grenade. It spreads a tiny cloud of metallic pieces
that disrupt any electronic equipment like surveillance cameras and radios.
Maybe a few smoke grenades for escape.”

Hanna studied his growing list. “Where
are you going to get C4 Semtex from, for heaven’s sake?”

He grinned at her. “You recognize
that?”

“I’ve heard of it. It’s used to make
bombs, right?”

“Yeah,” he responded, then elaborated.
“We’ll take it to use as a satchel charge, and with some remote detonators, to
create distractions or destruction, whatever it is needed as we retreat.”

“Can we transport it safely?”

“Yeah, that’s not a problem until we
wire it.”

The next items on the list were guns.
Hanna had already seen the one that Nick preferred. It was the lethal looking
Glock. But he also had a note to bring a spare 9mm.

“Is that for me?”

He stopped writing to look over at
her. “Can you use a hand gun? A 9millimeter?”

“No and no,” she answered honestly.
“But you could show me how to use one. I can shoot a rifle.”

“I remember.” He was referring to the
fact that the boys themselves had taught her when she’d gone hunting with them.
“But I don’t really want you in a situation where you’d have to use a gun.”

“Well, I’d rather not use one,
either,” she agreed quietly.

The rest of his list of equipment
included extra ammunition, two semi-automatic assault rifles, a sniper rifle
with a couple of different scopes, three sets of thermal night vision goggles,
and three radios with tiny headphones and lip mikes for communicating with one
another. In addition to all that, his SATCOM cellular phone, his handheld GPS,
extra batteries, his compass, and the directional microphone were added to the
list.

The last item made her frown. “Why the
directional microphone?”

“I’m hoping to use it to find Lance.”

“I guess you better be electronically
competent to be in the military anymore.”

Nick laughed and added more equipment
to his list. “I want to be prepared for anything, and all these gadgets can
help get the job done more safely and efficiently.”

“Are we really going to need and use
all the weapons you’ve listed?”

“Maybe not, but I always go in more
prepared than less. Plan for the worst, and come out alive. Forget that, and
some small screw up will kill you.”

Hanna shuddered to hear him talk so
matter-of-factly about dying. “You have a good track record of keeping your
teams alive, don’t you?” she asked, then wished she had thought before she had
blurted out the question. The last time he’d been home, he’d been in such bad
shape because he had lost nearly everyone on the team he’d been heading.

He smiled at her, then decided she
needed a reassuring kiss on the cheek. “Yes, I do. The only time I messed up
was three years ago, and there probably wasn’t much I could have done about
that. I found out later that the target had been warned we were coming. That’s
why they were ready with that ambush.”

Hanna shivered again, recalling how
close Nick had come to dying in that disastrous mission to capture a terrorist
leader. She was glad he had come to realize he wasn’t to blame for that failed
mission.

“I think I can still shoot a rifle or
a shotgun,” she volunteered bravely. “Are these military ones that much
different from hunting ones?”

“Yes and no, but you won’t be carrying
a weapon, or using one, I’ve decided,” he informed her gravely. “You’ll be far
away from any firefight.”

Hanna frowned, wondering how far away
he meant.

He caressed her cheek, trying to chase
away that frown. “My intent is to go in unseen and silent, get Lance out, then
all of us out, without them ever knowing we were there. A swift and silent
extraction, nothing more.”

She put her hand in his and stared at
the image of her smaller one enfolded in his larger one. “Nothing deadly?”

“Not if I can help it.”

After squeezing her hand reassuringly
again, he checked his watch. “It’s after three. I think we better get some
sleep, don’t you?”

Nodding her agreement, she turned out
her table lamp and settled snuggly next to Nick in her bed. The thought of
their upcoming rescue of Lance filled her with as much trepidation as
excitement. There was no doubt in her mind that it was going to be dangerous,
but by the grace of God, Lance was still alive, and she felt confident that
Nick would get his brother home. With God’s help, it would hopefully be done
without harm to anyone. As she held on a little tighter to the man beside, she
said a silent prayer for a safe and successful outcome.

Nick turned sideways to adjust the
angle of his body to Hanna’s. She laid her head in the warm crook of his
shoulder and arm. It was a lumpy pillow, but she had no desire to lay her head
on any other. She hooked her arm around his waist to keep him close. Her
fingertips stroked the tiny indentation at the base of his spine.

“When do we leave?” she whispered in
the dark as her hand drifted over the much-loved shape of his buttocks.

“Probably Friday morning. We need to
spend tomorrow getting our supplies appropriated. I’ll call Kurt first thing in
the morning so he can get the time off to come with us.”

“Unofficially?” Hanna felt Nick
unclasp her bra.

“For now.”

The tips of her breasts were freed to
snuggle against his warm, bare chest. The downy mat of hair there tickled her.
Content to spend the rest of eternity in such an intimate position with him,
she closed her eyes on a soft sigh.

“Will you stay for breakfast?”

“Will Colleen be shocked?” His mouth
and nose were buried in the silky tangles of her hair, nuzzling it.

“No.” And Hanna was certain of that.

“Think she can hear us up here?”
Nick’s lips moved across her face.

“I don’t know,” Hanna giggled against
his chest. “You were careful not to rock the bed the first time.”

“This time it’s your turn to be
careful not to rock the bed,” he teased as he rolled beneath her and lifted her
on top of him. “Be gentle.” His muffled laughter died beneath a groan as she
began to move above him.

CHAPTER 22

SHERIFF JEFF THOMAS made sure Phillip
Douglas was alone before he entered the Chief of Police’s office. “You look a
little queasy, Chief. Could it have anything to do with the two who just left the
building?”

Phillip rose from his leather chair
and walked around to the front of his desk to face the sheriff, a man he wished
heartily that he’d never met. “Kelly just got out on bail. Judge Wolcott signed
the order. Seems he’s an old friend of Colleen McHenry.”

Thomas shrugged. “Well, we figured we
wouldn’t be able to hold Kelly for long.”

The police chief scowled. “Hell, I
just arrested him this morning! He wasn’t in that jail cell more than a couple
of hours.”

“I didn’t expect too much with
Master’s crew as witnesses. How believable are those damn bikers? Geez! None of
them can lie worth a nickel. Worthless shitheads!”

“Who really slit Master’s throat?”
Phillip demanded in a lowered voice.

Again Thomas shrugged. “Don’t know.
Don’t care. His death works for me.”

Phillip Douglas blew out a disgusted
breath, and watched the sheriff finally take a seat in the chair next to his
desk. “Yeah. I’ll just bet it does. His death puts you in charge. Don’t get too
comfortable, though. Doctor Wallace came in to have a little talk with me
before posting Kelly’s bail. She told me that Kelly and she know that we’re all
involved in drug smuggling. She warned me to wash my dirty hands of the whole
sorry mess before it was too late, for heaven’s sake!”

“Kelly was at Masters’ house last
night, selling him heroin. He didn’t like what Yancy wanted to pay him for it.
Master’s crew told you that they saw the Colonel slit his throat.”

“Apparently Judge Wolcott wasn’t too
impressed with the evidence.”

“He only set bail. He didn’t dismiss
the charges. You and I both know Kelly will go after Chen. The minute he
crosses the border into Canada, he’ll be in big trouble with the feds, not to
mention his own superiors in the Marine Corps. If he takes the pretty doctor
with him, he’ll make her complicit, too. In fact, I have a feeling that they
may take off for good once they leave the States. Don’t worry. Chen will handle
the matter for us from that point on.”

“Just who the hell is this Chen?”
Phillip demanded as he moved behind his desk to sit down once again. Nothing
Thomas had said yet made him feel any better about the whole sorry mess.

“A big shot in the Chinese Triad.”

“Oh fuck!” Phillip raked a hand
through his light brown hair. “This is a lot worse than I thought. I figured you
and Yancy were just pushing this stuff through those bikers that hang out at
Masters’ bar. I thought that maybe they were the ones who really killed Yancy
last night— a deal gone bad or something. But shit! The Triad! I can’t be
involved in that!”

Jeff Thomas rose from his chair slowly
and braced his two beefy hands on the police chief’s desk. It placed him
eye-to-eye with Douglas. Like Yancy, he was a large man, tall and husky. Only
he was a lot meaner and nastier than the man he’d probably just disposed of
himself.

“You arrested and charged Kelly with
the murder of Yancy Masters,” the sheriff said, enunciating each word. “He was
trying to sell Masters some China White he’d acquired from somewhere. You’ve
got witnesses and the evidence. When he skips bail, he’ll look even guiltier.
It’s not likely we’ll ever hear from him again.”

“And Doctor Wallace?”

“Will be taken care of. Chen never
leaves loose ends,” Thomas growled, slamming his fist down on the desk. “Buck
up and don’t lose your nerve, Douglas.”

Phillip shook his head. “This is too
much— too goddamned much!”

The older man pulled the Police Chief
out of his chair by his open shirt collar. “Get it together, Douglas, or we’ll
have a nice accident arranged for you, too. And for your pretty wife and cute little
kids.”

EVERYONE WAS SEATED AT JESSIE’S DINNER
TABLE THAT EVENING. For the next few days and nights, Colleen, Christine, and
Katie were staying at the Price house, under the protection of a rotating shift
of carefully chosen sheriff deputies. The day’s events and the imminent
departure of Hanna and Nick for Vancouver Island had rattled both families.

Nick had insisted that they have
protection, and had called a few of Dylan’s friends in the sheriff’s department
for help. Their superior officer was not aware of the extra duty of a handful
of his deputies. Once Nick had informed the older deputy he’d met at the
hospital of their boss’ involvement with Li Chen, most of officers had wanted
to help in any way they could. Rather than seek the sheriff’s arrest, they had
all agreed to give Nick time to rescue his brother first.

It had been a long tumultuous day for the
whole family. Hanna and Nick had gone downstairs this morning to discover Port
George’s police chief, Phillip Douglas, and a couple of his officers in
Colleen’s living room with an arrest warrant for Nick. They’d been informed
that Yancy Masters had been killed last night in his home on Shelter Island.
Several of the men who worked for Yancy on the island had told the police about
Nick’s late night visit, only they had claimed to witness the murder.
A drug
deal gone bad
were the words they had used for it. Two of the men had told
the police chief that their boss had refused to pay the price Kelly was asking
for the two bags of China White heroin that he was trying to peddle. As a
result, they had witnessed him slitting Yancy’s throat in his attempt to escape
the island property.

Yancy’s murder had shocked and even
saddened Nick, but he hadn’t been surprised at being arrested for it.
Obviously, the sheriff and police chief knew he was on to their illegal drug
ring. At this point, Chen must also know he was coming after his brother. The
time wasted sitting in a jail cell, uncertain whether he could get bail, had
nearly shot his plans for the expedition to Chen’s compound to hell, but much
to his elation, Hanna and Kurt had managed to salvage it and pull it all
together.

Once he’d heard of Nick’s arrest, Kurt
had assisted in getting him out of jail, then he and Hanna had arranged for and
gathered the remainder of the things they needed for their departure. Hanna’s thorough
efficiency had surprised him. She’d attended to the list he had made the night
before with the competence of a seasoned quartermaster.

During dinner, Nick thanked Colleen
again for putting up his bail. “I’m sorry you had to back it with your house
and property.”

Colleen waved his concern aside. “I
have complete faith in you, Nicholas. I know you will bring in those
responsible for my grandson’s death, as well as return Lance to us. I’ve known
Phillip Douglas since he was a boy. The man’s become a disgrace to his family
and his community. I told him so this morning, too.”

Nick chuckled. Hanna had told him how
Colleen had railed at Chief Douglas. She’d also mentioned that she had said
nearly the same thing to the man. She had leveled some bitter and blunt
accusations at her old nemesis. Nick was a little worried about it. Her
confrontation with the police chief and her honesty put her in more danger, but
at least she was going with him to Vancouver Island where he could protect her.

“I told Judge Wolcott that you have
been looking into Dylan’s death and Lance’s disappearance,” Colleen went on. “I
told him what you have uncovered so far. Your friend at the FBI office in
Seattle talked to the judge, too. Mr. Palmer vouched for you and told him about
the investigation that is being conducted. After that, the bail was nothing
more than cover. Once the judge knew the whole story, he figured you didn’t
kill Yancy Masters.”

“And he’ll keep all you told him
hush-hush until we nail this down?”

Colleen nodded. “He’s been a friend a
long time. He’s an honest man. I trust him. He’s had his suspicions about
Phillip Douglas and Sheriff Thomas for a while. He’s been hearing rumors of
corruption.”

“We still have to prove all this.”

Colleen smiled and reached out to pat
the back of his hand. “You will.”

After dinner, Nick and Hanna left to
pack the gear and clothing that they were taking to Vancouver Island. Because
they were meeting Kurt and the floatplane he had rented early tomorrow morning,
they returned to the Price house to check in one last time with their families.
When they re-entered the kitchen, everyone was still seated around the big
table, even the baby and Christopher. There was a sheriff’s deputy sitting with
them.

Jessie introduced the young man and
explained he was taking the first guard shift. “Since you’ll be heading out
early in the morning, we all wanted to wish you good luck and a safe return.”

Colleen set down her coffee cup and
rose to give Nick a hug. “I know we’ve placed a big burden on your shoulders by
expecting you to solve Dylan’s murder and find Lance, but you remember, we don’t
want you to put your own life at risk. I will not countenance you dying on this
mission, Nicholas Kelly. Take care of my baby girl, too.” Hanna saw the emotion
glittering in her grandmother’s eyes. Her voice was noticeably husky as well.

Nick hugged Colleen firmly in return.
“I promise you that I’ll keep her safe.”

“Thanks for not insisting that I stay
home, Grandma.” Hanna stepped up to hug her grandmother once she was free of
Nick.

“Oh, I know you’d never be able to do
that, sweetheart.”

“I have to help bring Lance home.”

“I know you do, baby, but do what Nick
says, and be careful.”

Jessie concurred with a nod and a
smile. “Stay out of harm’s way, honey. I expect to see all three of you, safe
and sound, for a big celebration dinner on Sunday. Invite that FBI agent who is
helping you, too.”

Nick bent down to give his mother a
kiss. Christine reached over and gave both Hanna’s and Nick’s hands a squeeze.
“Good luck, you two. Take care.”

Nick noticed Christopher was strangely
silent, just staring up at him and Hanna. He squatted down to eye level with
his nephew. “Don’t you worry, sport,” he reassured him. “Your dad, Hanna, and I
will be back here with you in no time at all. Get the football out. We’ll have
a big game before dinner on Sunday. How’s that?”

Christopher threw his arms around his
uncle’s neck, clinging for a few seconds. Nick stroked his head and reassured
him with kisses.

When he finally rose to his feet, he
looked over at the off-duty deputy. “Take care of my family and friends.”

The man stood to shake Nick’s hand.
“Will do, Colonel. Good luck. And don’t worry about your people. We’ll make
sure nothing happens to them while you’re gone.”

He nodded, then motioned Hanna to the
back door. As they were leaving, Katie, in the hushed quiet of the kitchen,
said, “Bye-Bye,” lifting her pudgy little hand in the semblance of a wave. Nick
turned to blow her a kiss, then laughed as the grandmothers and her mother began
a litany of wonder over the infant’s first such gesture and words.

Hanna and Nick spent the night at
Colleen’s house. By ten o’clock, Hanna had reached the end of her energy
supply. She helped Nick as long as she could, then collapsed on the sofa and
promptly fell asleep while he finished his planning and equipment tinkering.

At midnight, he came in to pick her up
off the sofa and carry her up the stairs to her room. She was so soundly sleep,
she didn’t stir, although she did utter a few slurred, sleep-drugged comments
as he undressed her. Not bothering with her pajamas, he laid her on her bed
naked, pulled up the covers, then stripped tiredly out of his own clothes. As
soon as he joined her under the covers, she snuggled against his naked body. He
turned to enfold her in his arms, then fell asleep as he mentally reviewed his
preparations one last time.

WHILE NICK AND HANNA WAITED for Kurt
Palmer to show up with the floatplane, they fixed breakfast. All the gear Hanna
had assembled the day before had been checked, rechecked, packed securely, and
stacked on the back porch. Inside the duffle bags, everything was packaged in waterproof
plastic to ensure it stayed dry and useable. The sun had been up only a short
while when Kurt came up the path from the beach and through the back door.
Breakfast was waiting on the table for him, and the three ate in quiet
discussion and review of the mission. Three cups of coffee later, they were
ready to lock up the house and leave.

Kurt helped them carry their gear to
the beach, where a Sleek Cessna 208 Caravan Amphibian floatplane was anchored
to Colleen’s dock.

“Nice.” Hanna was impressed. “Where
did you get this?”

“From a friend who runs a flight
service out of SEATAC.”

“Pretty slick,” Nick commented as he
walked down the wooden dock to the plane’s rear cargo door. “Here’s hoping we
can get it back in one piece.”

Kurt caught Hanna’s look of alarm and
chuckled. “We’ve been known to come back with less equipment than we went in
with,” Kurt explained. “But replacing this baby would put us in the poor house,
buddy, so let’s keep her out of harm’s way, shall we?”