the comm was more effective than waiting for everyone’s hearing to return to normal. The seas settled down as the trawler distanced itself from the scene. Lessening the blast of heat, their movement carried them away from the worst of the smoke and debris.
“Yeah. Two boats headed in. We had a few casualties,” LeRoy Salinas, piloting the boat, used his comm, despite standing less than ten feet away. “Nothing anyone cried about,” his voice was dry.
EIGHT
“W hich boat has my brother?”
“He was with Alverez on the first one in,” one of his men out on deck responded. “Saw them on deck just before we left.”
Good. Gray wasn’t done with his brother—not by a long shot.
Hannah turned on the bench seat to look at the flames shooting up into the blackness of the sky and reflecting orange off the low hanging clouds. “My God.” She shuddered. “It’s a miracle we got away in time.”
Pulling her back against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist, curving his fingers into the belt loop of her jeans. She resisted for a moment, then let out a frustrated breath and leaned her head into his shoulder. Together they watched the flames in the distance. A bonfire against the blackness of the night sky, reflected dancing flames in the inky water.
Resting his chin on her hair, Gray listened as his men checked in. “Any chatter on Stonefish?” he asked, feeling the slump of Hannah’s body relaxing into him as the adrenaline leaked out of her, leaving her limp and exhausted.
“Nada.”
“Bravo One.” Charlie Kyatta ID’ed himself briskly. “At location. Mauro’s gut shot. Jaramillo says he’s not going to make it. We have Sorenson and Deeks separated, but so far neither are talkin’.”
Charlie Kyatta and Bravo team weren’t wasting a second trying to pull any intel that would help them in the next phase. Finding Stonefish and stopping him before he set into motion a coup no one would be able to stop.
“Inform Deeks we have his sister and niece,” Grayson, voice cold, reminded the team leader. “Tell Sorenson we’ll withhold all meds until he gives us what we want.” Sorenson had had a heart transplant barely three months earlier. Acute cellular rejection was most common in patients the first three to six months after a transplant. This was nasty business, but they were prepared to do whatever it took. The countdown was going fast. They had to find Stonefish before it was too fucking late.
“Are you done with work for just a minute?” Hannah asked, turning in his arms. Her husky voice ruffled primeval nerve endings, he’d kept tamped for years.
He had to smile, because just looking at her lightened his heart. “Yeah.” For about eight minutes until they reached the dock.
“You know I hate you, right?” she whispered, voice clogged with emotion. It was dim in the wheelhouse. Just the ambient glow of the rapidly retreating fire, and the small lights on the dash across the room. Hair disheveled, white shirt covered with dark, smoky blotches, she was a red-hot mess. Which made her, blotches, smudges and all, just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He’d never get tired of looking at her.
Grayson’s smile disappeared, as his heart pinched. Yeah. He knew how she felt about him. With just cause, but it didn’t fucking break his heart any less.
He turned off his comm. His men knew what had to be done, and he had less minutes to hold Hannah before he put her on a plane back to Chicago. There was no guarantee he’d ever see her again. “Hannah-“
“Don’t think I’m downplaying how I feel. The love I once felt for you, a love that was unconditional, and forever, morphed into a feeling that makes me heartsick. I want to not feel this way. But I can’t make myself – not . You ripped out my heart without a word.” She leaned forward, spreading her palms on his chest.
“You killed something inside me, and I resent that just as much. I miss who I was with you. I
“Yeah. Two boats headed in. We had a few casualties,” LeRoy Salinas, piloting the boat, used his comm, despite standing less than ten feet away. “Nothing anyone cried about,” his voice was dry.
EIGHT
“W hich boat has my brother?”
“He was with Alverez on the first one in,” one of his men out on deck responded. “Saw them on deck just before we left.”
Good. Gray wasn’t done with his brother—not by a long shot.
Hannah turned on the bench seat to look at the flames shooting up into the blackness of the sky and reflecting orange off the low hanging clouds. “My God.” She shuddered. “It’s a miracle we got away in time.”
Pulling her back against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist, curving his fingers into the belt loop of her jeans. She resisted for a moment, then let out a frustrated breath and leaned her head into his shoulder. Together they watched the flames in the distance. A bonfire against the blackness of the night sky, reflected dancing flames in the inky water.
Resting his chin on her hair, Gray listened as his men checked in. “Any chatter on Stonefish?” he asked, feeling the slump of Hannah’s body relaxing into him as the adrenaline leaked out of her, leaving her limp and exhausted.
“Nada.”
“Bravo One.” Charlie Kyatta ID’ed himself briskly. “At location. Mauro’s gut shot. Jaramillo says he’s not going to make it. We have Sorenson and Deeks separated, but so far neither are talkin’.”
Charlie Kyatta and Bravo team weren’t wasting a second trying to pull any intel that would help them in the next phase. Finding Stonefish and stopping him before he set into motion a coup no one would be able to stop.
“Inform Deeks we have his sister and niece,” Grayson, voice cold, reminded the team leader. “Tell Sorenson we’ll withhold all meds until he gives us what we want.” Sorenson had had a heart transplant barely three months earlier. Acute cellular rejection was most common in patients the first three to six months after a transplant. This was nasty business, but they were prepared to do whatever it took. The countdown was going fast. They had to find Stonefish before it was too fucking late.
“Are you done with work for just a minute?” Hannah asked, turning in his arms. Her husky voice ruffled primeval nerve endings, he’d kept tamped for years.
He had to smile, because just looking at her lightened his heart. “Yeah.” For about eight minutes until they reached the dock.
“You know I hate you, right?” she whispered, voice clogged with emotion. It was dim in the wheelhouse. Just the ambient glow of the rapidly retreating fire, and the small lights on the dash across the room. Hair disheveled, white shirt covered with dark, smoky blotches, she was a red-hot mess. Which made her, blotches, smudges and all, just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. He’d never get tired of looking at her.
Grayson’s smile disappeared, as his heart pinched. Yeah. He knew how she felt about him. With just cause, but it didn’t fucking break his heart any less.
He turned off his comm. His men knew what had to be done, and he had less minutes to hold Hannah before he put her on a plane back to Chicago. There was no guarantee he’d ever see her again. “Hannah-“
“Don’t think I’m downplaying how I feel. The love I once felt for you, a love that was unconditional, and forever, morphed into a feeling that makes me heartsick. I want to not feel this way. But I can’t make myself – not . You ripped out my heart without a word.” She leaned forward, spreading her palms on his chest.
“You killed something inside me, and I resent that just as much. I miss who I was with you. I
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