Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (23 page)

“Well, just imagine what
it’ll be like in a king sized bed with candlelight.”

Cole smiled at the
tempting image. “With hours and hours of uninterrupted time ahead of us. Can I
have a do-over in New York then? I promise a king-sized bed and candles.”

“Absolutely.” Katrina
put a hand on his injured bicep, tenderly rubbing the skin just above the
bandage. “You need new gauze on that. I wonder if George has a first-air kit.”

“Highly doubtful. I’ll
be okay. How’s your cheek?” Cole noticed the darkened bruising on her left side
in the dim light from the window.

“Sore, but I’ll survive.
It’s better than being dead,” she half joked.

Their lulling aftermath
was interrupted by Cole’s phone vibrating. Reaching over Katrina and kissing
her in the process, he fumbled with the earphone on the bedside table before
placing it in his ear and responding.

“Nielsen.” Cole kept his
voice low.

He sat up as Katrina
swiveled off the bed and walked nude toward the bathroom. He watched as her
silhouette disappeared into the darkness beyond.

“It’s Hannlon.”

“What’s the latest,
Kirk?”

“We’re just under an
hour away, if all goes well. We’re making good time, breaking a few laws to get
there.”

“Good. Do you still have
the insider cooperating?”

“Yes. She knows it’s in
her best interest to assist us.”

“I’m going for the boy
then.”

“Cole, be careful. The
wrap sheet on some of these guys is long and violent. If they sense they’re in
a corner, they’ll come out swinging and take down everyone in their path
– including Jimmy. But then, you already know that,” Agent Hannlon
retracted.
 

“I appreciate the heads
up though. Drink lots of coffee, it looks like a long night for you guys.”

“I will. How’s the
woman?”

“Tough. She’s along for
the ride, which makes my little side mission more complicated. I’ll have to
watch for her safety while rescuing the boy. Might be tricky.”

“You’ll manage. Good
luck.”

“Thanks. Stay posted.”

“Will do. Bye.”

Cole placed the phone
back and sat on the edge of the bed. By the time he was dressed, Katrina had
come back in search of her clothes too.

“I wish I had something
else to wear. Gloria will have something for me.”

“I kind of like this
outfit.” From where he sat on the edge of the bed, he pulled Katrina’s hips
toward him and kissed the space between her breasts and then placed a cheek on
it.

She wrapped her arms
around his head, running a hand through his blond hair caressingly. Looking up,
Cole met her eyes and their mouths joined again in a passionate display of their
growing affection. These feelings were real, lasting.

“Did your agent friend
say they’re on their way?”

“Soon. It should be over
soon.”

“And Jimmy?”

“It’s all up to me now.
He’s my priority.”

“You mean up to
us
. I guess
we should go then.” Katrina reached for her clothes. “Those men may come back
to the cottage any minute.”

“It’s for the best.”

“When?”

“The sooner we leave,
the sooner Jimmy is out of harms way.”

“Then lets go.”

Chapter Seventeen

“Please, can you let me
call my Dad?” Jimmy asked from the bed.

He’d gone through most
of the comic books already and he could feel his eyes growing tired. The
reality of the moment was sinking in the longer he was made to wait. Jimmy had
tried his best to be brave, but deep down he needed to be comforted and know
his father was safe too. He wanted answers.

“I told ya, we aren’t
allowed to let that happen,” the younger, wiry one of the two men holding Jimmy
said.

“Don’t ask again or
there’ll be trouble, got it?” warned the older man dressed in black. Jimmy
noticed the scars on his face and graying hair at his temples. He looked around
his father’s age.

“Do you guys have kids?
How would you feel if someone took them away from you?” Jimmy’s innocent
comment made the older man’s blood boil and his temper peaked. Jimmy couldn’t
have known that his past included hurting children and leaving them for dead.

“Shut up, kid. I’m
serious, one more word and I’m duct-taping your loud little trap.”

The younger man sat on
the edge of the bed and leaned in close to Jimmy. “You’d better listen. I’ve
seen him angry and it’s not pretty. Just shut your mouth and everything will
work out, got it?”

Jimmy nodded, the
piercing glare of the older man’s eyes from across the room made him think
twice about asking for some water. He held still and hoped this would be over
soon.

The young guy got up
from the bed and walked into the bathroom and the older guy followed. Before
disappearing through the door, he turned and pointed at Jimmy threateningly.
“No funny business or I’ll cut your throat – and I’ll take some pleasure
in it.” They shut the door behind them and Jimmy was left alone.

“So how much longer do you think until
the money arrives?” Stoner, the younger of the two asked.

“Dunno. But I feel out
of the loop. We shoulda got a call by now. At least telling us what’s goin’
on.”

Brown, the older one,
scratched his head. He’d been through his share of kidnappings before and had
seen them go terribly wrong. His last stint in prison had been the result of a
kidnapping gone awry, but the man in charge on that one had been working under
cover so Brown felt he’d been double-crossed. This time was different. He was
positive Wilco was on the up and up and wanted the money so badly he could
taste it. Brown’s last job had been a ransom for half a million and he was
primed to get at least ten grand out of it. This time, the payout was a
hundred. He was damn sure to get his cut.

“Should we call and ask
how things are going?” Stoner asked naively. “I’m gettin’ a little freaked out
about it all.”

Brown put his hands up.
“Calm down, man, and don’t even think of bailin’ on me now, Stoner. You need to
quit complaining ‘cause you’re starting to make me nervous.”

The men’s conversation
was interrupted by a sudden thump. They opened the bathroom door and noticed
the empty bed.

“Where’d he go?” Stoner
shouted, racing around the bed to find Jimmy lying on his side on the floor.
“So you thought you’d try to make a break for it, did ya?” Stoner bent down and
helped Jimmy get to his tied feet. After reading the comics, the men had bound
his hands with rope, but that hadn’t stopped Jimmy from attempting his escape.

“I think we should teach
you a little lesson for not listening.” Brown took his black belt out of the
loops and snapped the leather straps together violently, making both Stoner and
Jimmy jump at the sudden noise.

Brown came closer to the
bed and raised his hand, the belt firmly gripped in his fingers, knuckles white.
Jimmy raised his bound wrists up to shield his face, cringing down in the bed
awaiting the blow.

“Wait, Brown, give the
kid a break. I don’t blame him for trying to get away.”

“Save it, Stoner.

Brown brought the belt
down hard, the fury on his face overtaking any reason. It whipped the bed a
mere inch from Jimmy’s legs, making the boy scream out in terror. “Next time, I
don’t miss. You stay put and keep quiet.”

“Okay, Brown, you made
your point,” Stoner intervened. “People are gonna hear his screams.”

“Well, maybe I should
keep goin’ till he can’t scream no more. Huh? What do ya think about that?” His
question was directed at Jimmy, the tension and anger dripping from Brown’s
words.

Jimmy huddled into a smaller form, trying
his best to appear invisible. He wanted so much to be far, far away from this
room. He wanted to be safe in his mother’s arms again, or in Trudy’s arms. He
closed his eyes as the tears streamed down his small face. If only someone
would come to his rescue.

                                   
<><><>

Cole listed their options for getting
out. The far end of the beach meant doubling back near the mansion and crossing
the entire property. The iron front gate would make too much noise and had to
be opened with a code. There was the wall with the broken spotlights and it was
also the closest option. “We’ll run around the far side of the cottage and over
to the stone wall. There’s a spot Cameron used to enter the grounds undetected.
We’ll scale the wall there.”

Katrina’s breath caught
at the mention of Cameron’s name. The reality of his death was starting to sink
in now, but there was no time for grief or sorrow or remorse. Time was of the
essence to save Jimmy.

Standing in the darkened
front hallway of the cottage as Cole spoke to her, the moonlight streaming in
and illuminating his beautiful face, Katrina couldn’t help her mind from
wandering back to the moments they’d just shared. She couldn’t help the tiny
smile that crept across her face at the mere thought of what they’d done
tonight; how physically close and intimate they’d become. She felt like she’d
known him much longer than a week after what they’d been through and there was
nothing that could come between them now – only death. And, considering
the circumstances, that was a high possibility.

“Stay close to me and
when I run, try to keep up.” Cole’s instructions were direct. Katrina realized
he’d slipped into Secret Service mode and she wasn’t about to question
anything. She knew she was in strong, capable hands now and she would allow him
to lead.

Holding hands, they made
a run for it in the darkness, staying within the camouflage of the landscaping.
They were together, a two-person team on a mission in this wild, frightening
night. Looking toward the mansion, Katrina could make out silhouettes in the
living room window and she knew the house was still awake. Slinking in the
shadows with Cole leading the way, Katrina suddenly spotted movement at a
distance.

“Cole,” she yanked on
his hand forcing him to stop and pivot.

“What is it?” he
whispered.

“The men, over there,
look.” Katrina’s gaze pointed the way and Cole saw too. Without a second to
spare, he pulled her behind a bush and they hunkered down to wait. The sound of
low talking and footsteps grew louder as the men walked up the front walkway of
the cottage and opened the front door of George’s cottage – the door they
had left only a moment before. When the door slammed shut, Cole gripped
Katrina’s hand tighter and they ran along side the flowerbed that skirted the
high stone wall. They waded through the flowers and lush plants until they
reached the right spot. Cole turned and put out his clasped hands and Katrina
placed a foot into them, holding his shoulders.

“Steady,” Cole said as
he hoisted her up onto the wall.

Katrina turned and
looked at him before she dropped her legs onto the other side, feeling for the
propped up logs with her feet. Cole swiftly scaled the wall and followed.

They were out. They were
free.

They ran as fast as they
could toward Gloria’s neighborhood. With each step they took, Katrina felt farther
and farther away from her friends and more and more guilty. What would happen
to them now? All they could do was wait for Cole’s team to arrive to save the
day, and waiting meant more opportunities for the captors to enforce their way
on the hostages. Although being off the mansion’s grounds felt liberating too,
deep down she felt a helpless dread she couldn’t shake. She would have to save
Jimmy, that much she could do. They had to get to Jimmy.

Chapter
Eighteen

The porch light came on and the door
opened a crack. Gloria’s husband Millard was stood on the other side. His
initial look of concern softened when he realized it was Katrina and the door
opened all the way.