Stone's Surrender: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 2), Page 3

  She closed her eyes and got settled, giving in. With a calm voice she said, “I meant no offense to your team, simply that my father considered me to be a losing horse. But my relationship with him is not in question here.”

  The driver, a huge beef of a man, spoke up quietly. “Ice is just very protective of us. This is what we do.”

  “And you did it wonderfully. I thank you for saving me,” she said without opening her eyes. “I’m just too tired right now to even think straight.”

  Kevin reached across the backseat and gently patted Lissa on the shoulder. “We’re all very grateful for what you’ve done. I wasn’t sure how much longer my wife would last, to be honest,” he admitted. “It’s been a tough couple years, but this last week was by far the worst. Of course the kidnapping was the highlight.”

  Ice turned to stare at them from the front seat. “Week?”

  He nodded. “The disruptions at the refugee camp seemed to be getting much worse every day. In fact, we should’ve known something like this was bound to happen. Not that there were signs, but … there were. You know?”

  “Right—the men watching, the extra military weapons showing up, just the ratcheted-up level of fear and tension around the place,” Stone said.

  Lissa nodded and agreed with him 100 percent. “If we had been smart enough, we would’ve understood what was going on and left a week ago. Even a few days before would’ve been lovely.” Her lips twisted in a half-sad smile. “Instead we got pulled into this mess. Something I could’ve done without.”

  “All three of us could have missed this opportunity,” Kevin said with a smile. “On the other hand, thanks to your people, we have survived.” He glanced outside the windows of the truck and said, “We are out of danger now, aren’t we?”

  “We’re never fully out of it,” Ice said. “But with every mile we put between them and us, we will be better off.”

  “We’re about an hour away from the vehicle transfer, so just sit back and relax,” Stone said. “We’ll keep watch.”

  Lissa turned and looked through the glass windows behind them. “What about the two men in the truck bed? Are they okay?”

  “They will be. We’re actually meeting another truck up ahead. We’ll be shuffling men at that point.”

  And, about an hour later, Lissa watched as this vehicle then slowed and pulled up beside an older pickup with a man leaning against it, as if waiting for them. Once their truck stopped, the door opened. The man took a look at the backseat and raised his eyebrows. “Three hostages? Are they doing okay?”

  Ice nodded. “How are Merk and Rhodes holding up?”

  Lissa looked around and realized that the two men who had hauled her from that room weren’t actually in the truck she rode in. But she could see them now in the other vehicle. Oh, thank God. As they watched and waited, one of the men in the rear of her pickup hopped out. She only half listened as plans were made.

  The last man from the pickup bed came around to the front. She didn’t know where these men were born and bred but they were seriously badass-looking dudes. And something about that right now made her feel damn comfortable. It was nice to think she was safe for a change. It seemed like she hadn’t felt that way for a long time, if ever in her life.

  While she pondered the comparison, the big man got into the front seat with Ice and the driver, who she thought somebody had called Stone. In a way that fit. He had to weigh 250 pounds easy. If not fifty more than that.

  She had felt like a Chihuahua, wanting to snap at the Dobermans, the rebels, telling them to keep away. But compared to them, these men were bloody Newfoundlanders, outweighing and outgunning them. She only hoped they were meaner than their dog counterpart.

  Being raised by her father with his own Doberman mentality always nipping away at her self-confidence had made her very wary of other men.

  Stone turned around to look at her. “Lissa, how are you doing?”

  Just enough real interest in his voice and his gaze had her realizing, even though this might be a job, he was concerned.

  She smiled up at him, her first genuine smile in a while, and said, “I’m doing fine, thanks. I’m just so glad to be safe.”

  He nodded in understanding. “You’re still not fully safe yet,” he cautioned. “Not until we get you home on American soil.”

  “Understood.” She watched as his gaze traveled to the other two former hostages, a frown developing as he studied Susan. He twisted in his seat to look at Susan’s husband.

  Kevin said with a smile, “She’s just exhausted. We’re both doctors, and have been burning the midnight oil for a long time.”

  Only the big man didn’t appear to be appeased. “I know who Lissa is, but I do need to know your names. And nationality.”

  “Kevin and Susan Salinger, both Americans, born in Kansas. After we became empty-nesters, we decided to find a new purpose in life.” With a lopsided smile he said, “Maybe it’s time to go home.”

  “This is Levi and Ice, and I’m your driver, Stone. I’d tell you the names of the other four men in the second truck, but you’ll forget and won’t have a face to put with them, so we’ll do those introductions later. We were actually hired by Lissa’s father to bring her home, and you just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

  Kevin gave a bark of laughter at that. “While that’s a hell of an insight, it’s better than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is how we felt. We were kidnapped with Lissa.” He reached up a hand to shake Levi’s and said, “Thank you for being kind enough to pick up two extra people in need.”

  “No problem and no charge. We’re all former US Navy, and this is what we’ve always done. Now we just do it privately.”

  He turned around to sit back, facing the front, adding, “There’s another stop in about forty-five minutes. We’ll grab a bite to eat, take a bathroom break, and switch vehicles. Expect to leave on a flight in six hours, if all goes according to plan.”

  Lissa really wished he hadn’t said the last part but understood his need to clarify. She knew it would be a hell of a long journey; they just had to be patient. She was rather desperate to get home now, but it didn’t really matter how much time it took to get there—as long as they escaped from this hellhole.

  *

  Stone drove steadily through the darkness. Even though the mission was a success so far, this was not the time to let down his guard. Too many missions went off the rails because people thought they were safe. He and his team weren’t at that point yet.

  According to his calculations they were about five minutes out from the rendezvous. He drove onto the side street in front of the large warehouse building and parked, shutting off the lights. There was absolute silence inside the vehicle.

  The other half of the team had driven past the warehouse and entered from the far side. One of the rules was to never be in the same place at the same time. Too easy for them all to get taken out. But they had to be close enough to back each other up in case something went wrong.

  He glanced at Levi and raised an eyebrow. Even in the half-light he could see Levi’s frown.

  They waited. Two new vehicles were supposedly standing by for them. Stone checked his watch and realized they were actually two minutes early.

  The earphone crackled in his ear. “No activity on the site.”

  “Silent here.”

  And they waited.

  And waited. At five minutes past the appointed hour, Levi opened the door and slipped out. Ice followed. Stone pulled his handgun free of his holster and laid it on the seat beside him. With those two checking things out, it would be just him and three hostages. Not good odds.

  He quickly relayed the change of status to the rest of the team. Better to be safe than sorry.

  He could feel the hostages behind him shuffling, looking around, the tension building inside the truck. In as calm a voice as he could, he said, “Nobody else has shown up for the rendezvous. Levi and Ice have gone to chec
k it out.”

  “And you’re expecting trouble, I presume,” Lissa said.

  “I’m always expecting trouble.”

  Kevin murmured, “That must be a tough way to live.”

  Stone shrugged. “I spent a lot of years in the military as part of an elite team doing missions all around the world. Waiting, ready to go in at a moment’s notice. From the time we were called up, it was like this every minute until we were home safe and sound.” His gaze never stop wandering, checking the area outside the vehicle. He wanted to go in and search, but no way would he leave these people here. But he didn’t trust this situation. When things went wrong, they went really wrong in his world. Quietly he ordered, “Sink down.”

  He quickly ducked below the dashboard.

  And they waited. His communication bud crackled again. “One stranger on the left. We’re on your right coming up against the side of the truck.”

  “Understood.” He stayed where he was and waited. When shots rang out, he snapped to the people in the backseat, “Stay down.”

  He crawled out on Levi’s side of the truck. Harrison was behind him, on the tailgate. Stone crept forward to peer around.

  A second gunshot fired. And then that ever-waiting stillness that came after. Was there another shooter? And who was actually doing the shooting? Merk or someone else? His earpiece crackled. “All clear. One down.”

  Good.

  Except for one thing. Unfriendlies never came alone—they were always with friends.

  And this time was no different.

  Chapter 4

  Lissa clasped her hands over her ears and pinched her lips together to keep the cry of fear from squeaking out. After all they’d been through, she’d hoped to be free of this torment. Instead they were apparently caught up in some other bit of nastiness. The war in Afghanistan had very long-reaching tentacles. She had no idea who was after whom. She prided herself on staying away from politics. Anything in that direction reminded her of her father. She wasn’t a child of the sixties and didn’t have that whole flower-power thing going on, but she certainly believed in a fair wage for all and wanted to promote peace, not war. She had a hard time with a lot of the political stands taken in her own country right now.

  With the presidential election, everything was topsy-turvy. She just wanted the people to get their heads out of the ground and realize something needed to happen to promote the family unit, keep the peace, and do something to help each other. Whatever happened to honesty, ethics, and morals? It seemed like all that had gone by the wayside.

  Even manners, such a basic building block of society, were gone. That was partly why she’d been so disillusioned and had allowed her father’s final words to send her off—again—overseas. She’d just run out of faith in mankind. And that was hardly fair because a lot of good people were out there. She had met many while doing volunteer work. But there was just something about being in her father’s stuffy old house with the windows closed and the maids who never said a word, always silent, always watching. She wondered if they were laughing at her. She didn’t even know if they spoke English. Her father was fluent in Spanish, and she wondered if he even paid them a fair wage. She had a hard time with all of it. But at the same time, she knew the maids needed the money to send back home.

  Instead of being a win-win situation, to her it was lose-lose on both ends. But there was really no good answer. Frustrated, feeling incapable of changing anything, she’d taken off to the areas she understood.

  People who were still focused on the basics of life. Who toiled in the fields all day and broke bread happily as a family at night. Whose only entertainment was storytelling, making simple things with their hands, singing, and dancing. It had been joyous to experience.

  She closed her eyes and tried to relax as the men tracked down the rest of their team. She could only hope nobody else would be hurt because of her actions. Her father was right about that. If she hadn’t run to help with the refugee camp, nobody would’ve come after her, putting their own lives in danger. It didn’t matter if they were paid or did this on a regular basis. If one of them died, she’d feel terrible.

  Way too late for recriminations now. She knew somebody had been shot out there; she just hoped it wasn’t one of the rescue team.

  On the other hand, if it was one of the enemy, how many more were there?

  Susan’s tired voice startled her in the silent truck. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

  She could hear Kevin’s low murmur as he tried to comfort his wife. His explanation was done in soft tones, as if that would matter.

  The harshness of the scenario had Lissa wanting to run from the truck and do something. Being confined was killing her soul, and bringing up her fear. She used to have panic attacks all the time growing up. But she could lay the blame for that at her father’s feet. They began after he locked her in the closet when she wasn’t “being good.” She thought she had overcome her confined-space issue when she’d finally taken the elevators instead of escalators. It had taken her a long time and a lot of tears and sleepless nights to get to the point where she could now ride them freely. But that didn’t mean she liked them.

  And now she was in this truck. And although not confined in the same sense of the word, it felt restricting and, even if she left, she had no place to go. She tried to control her breathing, but the panic was setting in. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and took great big gulping breaths, but it wasn’t enough.

  Finally she couldn’t stand it. She bolted upright and rolled onto the front seat to push open the passenger door, leaning out, taking in large amounts of fresh air. Behind her she could hear Kevin’s shocked gasp. But she couldn’t worry about that. She was too busy sucking in oxygen.

  As she held the door, the tremors working down her arm made it shake in the night. A strong hand reached up to grip her arm. She didn’t know if it was to hold her in place to stop the shaking, or to make her relinquish her hold on the door. No success with the latter. Instead she gripped it like a lifeline.

  She didn’t have time to react as a face appeared in the darkness. Instead of being scared, she was relieved to identify Stone, their driver.

  He studied her with concern. “You okay?”

  She nodded barely. “I just … I just needed fresh air.”

  But she could tell from the intensity of his gaze that he knew there was more to it. Now that she was no longer alone, and fresh air swooped through the place, she started to relax. She took several more deep breaths, telling her body to calm down, that it would be okay.

  When he lifted her hand off the doorframe, she let him. But when he slid his down to hold hers, she froze.

  Gently he squeezed her fingers together, a rough thumb stroking up and down on the back of her fingers. “It’s okay. Being scared is a normal reaction. You’ve been through a lot already.”

  If he only knew. She gave him a slight smile and added, “I could’ve managed all that. But when you left me locked up in the truck …” She shook her head. “I thought I’d been doing so much better lately, but sometimes being confined gets to me.”

  He smiled and patted her hand. “I can leave the door slightly ajar if that makes it better, but I can’t just stay here.”

  She tensed at the thought that he was leaving.

  Instantly he squeezed her fingers and said, “Don’t worry. I’m staying at the side of the vehicle. I’m not leaving you. It’s my job to stand guard here.”

  “My hero,” she said with a light groan. But, of course, it was his job. Still it didn’t matter; she was such a mess right now she was grateful for anyone’s support. She lowered her head to her other arm and just relaxed across the front seat. Her hand was still in his as he gently reassured her that she would be okay.

  She thought she was out of the worst of the danger, and it was safe to relax. Then she heard a shout in the distance. Lifting her head, she studied Stone. “What is that?”

  He lifted her palm to his li
ps and dropped a gentle kiss on the back of her hand and said, “Don’t worry. It’s my men, not the enemy.”

  In the distance she heard, “Stone?”

  Instantly he straightened. He ducked down to look at her and said, “Stay here. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

  She snorted. As if she was going anywhere. No way in hell. She was warm, safe, and dry. And soon this vehicle would get her the hell out of here. But none of that made her feel any better right now.

  She pulled her hand in and tucked it against her chest, wondering at his gentle kiss. For such a huge man, the graceful gesture of comfort seemed out of place—and yet not. His actions had been smooth, natural. And that made all the difference.

  With her arms tucked up close, she huddled in the front, listening for the men to come back. Only they didn’t come anytime soon.

  And her return home was to be delayed yet again. She rolled to her back and stared straight up at the ceiling. A chill set in. Likely shock. “Kevin, you doing okay?”

  “Susan’s asleep again. We’re both fine.”

  But she could hear the underlying worry in his voice. They were all fine. But for how long?

  *

  Stone raced toward the other men, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. Since when did he ever kiss a woman’s hand like she was some kind of royalty? It was so not him. But at the time, it seemed to be the best thing to do.

  He’d understood the panic attack. Hell, the signs were damn-near impossible to miss. She gulped the air like she was dying. Anything that would help her stay calm and inside was a good thing. He just tossed it off as a casual gesture to make her feel better. Yet he knew it had to be a little bit more than that.

  He wasn’t sure what the attraction was, but just watching her struggle to control herself added to the admiration he felt already. She hadn’t bolted. She’d only opened the truck door enough to get fresh air in. She could have opened the window.

  And then he thought about that and stopped, saying to himself, “No, she couldn’t have. They were power windows, and I didn’t leave the keys in the ignition. So she did what she could.”