Chapter Nine

SAMANTHA

Another night. Another huge fancy party. Another ridiculously expensive dress. Another bullet-proof bodysuit.

The bullet-proof outfit was new, as well as the element of danger. Jori thought I might get shot at tonight.

I had initially refused when Jori asked me to come to this party. I signed up for a year of marriage and some credits, not deadly missions for the Vandwan government. But when he told me that it was essential to his task for me to be there, I relented. The decision became easier once I knew I would be bulletproof.

Jori had been quick to remind me that my armor didn't completely protect me. "Your head's not going to be covered. If people start shooting at you, duck and put your arms over your head. Get behind something if you can."

I had nodded, like a good little student. I'm sure he could condense years of special forces training into a few minutes.

Now that we were here and mingling, I felt short of breath. Was there enough air in the room? I didn't want to die tonight.

"What's wrong?" Jori asked. His neutral expression didn't change.

"I feel like I can't breathe in here," I whispered.

"It's probably just anxiety," he said. "Let's go out on the terrace, okay?"

"Sure."

I let him guide me towards a set of open double doors. People were out here as well, mingling on the patio where it was cooler than inside.

"Is that better?" he asked. We were outside and seated on one of the benches near some shrubbery. I drew in a deep breath and shook my head. He took my hand. "You're safe. I won't leave your side tonight. I'll take the shot myself if I have to."

"No," I said. My voice was barely above a whisper, matching his low voice. "I don't want you to do that." I continued breathing deliberately, but the dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn't go away. "What if one of us has to go to the bathroom? Are you still going to stay by my side?"

"We'll have to go together," he said, waggling his eyebrows at me. The intimate sound of that made me blush, and my dirty mind flew back to the moment before the explosion, when we had been about to consummate our marriage. Thinking about it made me ache down there.

He smiled. Did he know what I was thinking?

"We'll get to that someday, Samantha," he said. There was a sad note to his voice. I didn't hold out much hope that anything would ever happen. Still, he seemed different today after he came back from his meeting. His demeanor was lighter than before.

Without warning, two other people were sitting on the bench beside us. I felt like they materialized out of the shrubbery. My conversation with Jori had absorbed my attention.

"And then my boss was telling me that she was taking three whole days off, and I was like, yeah, whatever." A blonde in a short skirt sat beside Jori, and a man with black hair and black eyes sat beside me.

"Seriously?" Jori answered as if the conversation had been happening all along. Some of the people on the patio glanced at us because the blonde was loud and obnoxious. After a moment, they went back to their conversations.

"She's jealous. Wants to take three days off herself," the man said, directing his comment to both Jori and myself. I nodded, playing along. These must be the team members that Jori had been talking about, Damien and Joley. We had also spotted our body doubles wandering in the crowd already. They had infiltrated earlier in the evening. We tried to stay away from them, not wanting to attract unwanted attention to a set of identical twins.

"We all want some time off," Jori said. I sensed a subtext to the conversation.

"Well, see you," the man said, clapping Jori's shoulder. "We have to mingle."

"Sure. Stay safe."

The man laughed and patted his pocket where the unmistakable sound of a condom crinkled.

"Always, buddy," he said. Jori grinned, and I smiled too. They seemed nice. Too bad I'd never see them again.

"See you, Sam," the blonde said.

"Take care, you," I said, not sure what name the woman was using.

She kissed me on the cheeks three times, one cheek, the other and then back to the first. As she kissed me, she passed instructions. "Turn your back and duck your head if you have to. It's the safest position for a woman," she whispered. "Taking a bullet in a bodysuit is easiest in the back when you're wearing a dress."

"Call me, okay?" she said. Her volume increased as she walked away.

I smiled back, not knowing what to say and not wanting to lie. I would never be calling her. I felt overwhelmed by the idea that I was an actor in a spy movie. Except this wasn't pretend and the stakes were high. Our lives were on the line tonight.

I was reminded of my peril every time I shifted in the tight body armor. It felt like a full-body bathing suit, but the material was slightly thicker.

I was so caught up in my thoughts of playing secret agent that I didn't notice that my personal secret agent was moving closer to me. I jumped when he was suddenly close enough to whisper in my ear. I felt like I was a teenager about to make out with my boyfriend.

"Don't mention anything," he said, his breathing making me shiver. It didn't help he was looking fantastic in a gray suit that made his eyes look even greener than before.

"Of course not," I whispered back, wanting to nuzzle him but not daring to. "I'm poor, not an idiot."

"Are you never going to forgive me for that stupid comment about your social standing?" he asked, pulling back suddenly.

"I don't know. Why don't you convince me that I ought to?" I said, feeling brave. What would he say to that?

The conversation continued as he moved close again, his cheek brushing mine, and almost making my heart stop. He had shaved. His skin felt smooth.

"What if I told you I was acting back then?"

"I'd call bullshit. I don't believe you're that good of an actor."

"Quite a few people are convinced I'm an asshole."

"That's because you are," I said, feeling my heart rate go up.

"I'm telling you that I'm not."

"Prove it."

He moved away so that I could meet his eyes, but he was still close enough so I could feel his warmth on my cheek and smell the mint from his toothpaste.

"Would an asshole give up five years of his life, his name, the love of his family, and the possibility of a relationship with an amazing woman just to save some kids that he doesn't even know?" he said. His eyes were full of emotion. If I hadn't known better, I'd guess he was about to cry.

Jori had a heart and soul after all, it seemed. And a conscience as well.

If he was honest with the look in his eyes, maybe he even had feelings for me.

He grinned. "Convinced?" he said.

"Not yet," I said, unwilling to let him off the hook. "But let's say it's a good start."

"We need to go back inside," he said, sitting back.

I couldn't control the expression on my face, but I'm sure it looked bad. As soon as Jori saw me, he frowned and leaned next to me.

"What's wrong?" he whispered as his forehead almost touched mine.

"I'm scared," I said. I sucked air through my teeth.

"I keep forgetting you're a civilian." His eyes searched mine for a moment. "What can I do to help you feel better? We do need to go back in."

I shrugged, feeling helpless to deal with the fear that gnawed at my belly. In his eyes, I could see the moment he decided.

The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine and fireworks exploded behind my eyes with electricity shooting through my entire body. When his tongue slipped into my mouth, everything concentrated in my core, and I had to stop myself from moaning.

I felt my nipples go rigid inside the body suit, and I suddenly wanted him to strip me out of it. Without me realizing, he had scooted over so we sat hip to hip with our arms wrapped around each other. All thoughts left my mind except the feeling of his body against mine and how much I still wanted him.

The kiss felt like it would never end, but eventually he sighed into me and pulled away. For a moment, I thought I couldn't open my eyes. When I finally pried each lid up, he looked smug.

I found my voice. "I feel better! I feel better!"

"Are you ready to go in now?" he asked. His smug expression morphed into a smile when I blinked.

"Sure," I said, not caring where we went or what we did.

"I was hoping it would have that effect," he said, standing up and offering me his hand. I took it and got to my feet, letting him pull me close again.

"You kissed me to get me to relax?"

"It worked once before," he said. I felt my cheeks grow hot as my body filled with different emotions. I remembered how relaxed I had been that night. It was infuriating that he knew me so well already. I was angry that he had only kissed me to make his job easier. I tried to pull away, but his grip on me was like iron, and he wouldn't let me leave.

"Calming you down was a bonus," he said. I could still feel his lips against my cheek, which made my knees sag involuntarily. "I kissed you because you are the sexiest woman I've ever seen. I'm having a difficult time keeping my hands off you."

"Really," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Really," he said, pulling me close enough so I could feel his hardness through his pants. I knew he wanted me. Still, it stung that he would use kissing me as a means to an end.

"Samantha," he said, taking my chin and turning my face back to him. I wanted to look away. "It was a joke. The simple truth is that I had to kiss you." For a moment, he let his mask drop away again. When he was unguarded, I saw passion, strength, and desire on his face. "Are you convinced?" he asked.

The moment disappeared, and I watched his vulnerability go as he transformed into his usual arrogant self.

"I am," I breathed.

"Good. I can't have you thinking that work is supposed to be fun, like kissing my beautiful, smart, sexy wife all the time. You'd never let me quit."

"Are you thinking about asking to stop?" I said, trying to show no reaction to his startling news. I managed to keep a straight face as we navigated through the crowd.

He put his hand on the small of my back and the possessive nature of the gesture didn't escape me. He was showing the men in the room I belonged to him.

I liked it.

"I already told them at work. Gave my two weeks notice, so to speak."

He couldn't be completely transparent in public, but he didn't seem to be talking about his lifeguard job.

"But what about…?"

"I just have to finish this thing I'm doing. Then I'm free to do whatever I want. Whatever, or whomever," he said, in a tone of voice that made my pulse race.

I wondered what he meant. Was he saying that I wouldn't have to want him forever? Was he saying that we could try having a real relationship without his secret agent issues being an obstacle?

The last thought that raced through my head was "Marriage first, then dating". That was when the first shots rang out.

"Get down, Sam!" I ducked my head and turned my back to the sounds of blaster fire, which had turned into sounds of screams and chaos. People ran for the doors. Jori had crouched down beside me and urged me back towards the entrance.

More shots fired. This time, I saw bodies fall to the ground.

They looked just like Jori and me.

One of our team members — Joley, the blonde — crossed our path as we scurried to the doors.

"Plan B," she said to Jori. "Route number 2. 1 is already closed off."

Jori didn't acknowledge or look at her. He merely nodded and continued pulling me away. The rate of the blaster fire increased, with no respite in between the shots. I kept my eyes on the door, feeling sure we would make it safely out of the building.

I felt something hit my arm. The pain was excruciating, and I couldn't help screaming. We should have gotten body triples. Through the haze of agony, I heard Jori muttering. "We have to get out of here. You might be hurting now, but it will hurt more if we stay."

The fear in his expression scared me more than the pain in my arm and shot adrenaline through my body. We darted out the door. Outside was safe for the moment; the only blaster fire came from inside. The lawn was overflowing with a crowd of people. More were pouring out of the building and trying to get off the property. They were crazy and panicking. Jori grabbed my good hand and dragged me across the vast lawn.

The thought occurred to me that Harrington had a degree of wealth I had not imagined before. He had so much land he could grow grass on it. Land, of course, was at a premium on Vandwa.

"We've got to get out of here before they close off all the exit points."

It seemed that most of them were shut down already, but we hoped ours was still intact. When the blonde had mentioned a backup route, she was referring to a manufactured tunnel.

A twelve foot high wall surrounded Harrington's property with a barbed wire fence and an electrical force field that would shock anyone who approached. Jori's team had dug a hole under the wall. The entrance was small because they could not disturb the electrical wires powering the force field. I hadn't cared about the size of the tunnel before, but I wasn't expecting to use it at the time.

"Here we go," he said, his arm around my waist.

I stared at the small hole in the ground. I didn't think I could crawl through it and winced, drawing to a complete stop.

"I can't do it," I said.

"You have to, Sam," he said, urgently. "We don't know the extent of their operation, but we have to assume they will discover us soon."

"That is a hole, not a tunnel."

The thought of wiggling through the tiny hole with my arm radiating pain seemed impossible. The darkness of the hole made me feel claustrophobic, and the notion of being pursued by dangerous predators made my feet feel like stone.

"Samantha," Jori said, touching my face.

Suddenly he was pulling off his clothes. That got my attention. "Take off your dress. With only your bodysuit on, it will be easier to slip through."

The hole was so small that my dress might catch on something? It felt painted on my body. I shouldn't have eaten those appetizers.

When I didn't move, he tore the dress off me. I briefly wished it had been under different circumstances.

"Sam," he said, "I need you to go through the hole first."

"I can't," I croaked out. "You go. I'll figure something out."

"I'm afraid that's not an option anymore, Sam." Jori's voice had turned cold. "If you're caught, he'll find out everything we've told you. He won't ask in a pleasant manner. I can't lose you like I lost my mother."

For some reason, those words touched me. When he laid himself bare, I felt a fierce sense of courage and protectiveness. Jori had suffered enough pain in his past. I needed to be strong because he needed me.

I wondered if I needed him too.

I knelt down by the hole in the ground and tears started rushing down my face. I couldn't imagine Jori stuffing himself inside.

"That's it, Sammy. Wiggle through. I know it's going to hurt your arm, but you have to be brave. I'll take care of you."

I swallowed and stretched my arms out in front of me, getting down on my stomach to slither into the tunnel. The pain made me bite back a whimper. Jori didn't say anything, but I knew he was back there, pushing against my legs.

I began to wiggle through the hole. Once I started, I felt as if I would never get out of the dark, dank earth again. My arm hurt every time I moved it. The tunnel felt as if it was closing in and clawing at me, trying to hold me back with every struggling movement I made to go forward.

When I was halfway through, I felt myself get stuck. My mother always told me I had childbearing hips, and my baby makers were much wider than the legs the little people in the Vandwan secret service used to dig the hellish little hole. Fuck.

I wriggled and wrenched, feeling like I would never escape. Jori was pushing hard on my ass, and my hands found a root that I pulled on with my good hand. With a bone-jarring wrench, I felt myself come free. Soon I was scrambling out of the dirt onto the sand on the other side of the fence.

Jori popped out of the hole a moment later and was by my side in a heartbeat.

"Sam, are you okay?"

I nodded, my good hand holding my hurt arm against my chest. I felt disoriented.

Then I was suddenly staring up at the distant Vandwan stars as my vision faded to black and I was out cold.