Holy hell, what have I gotten myself into?
I’d agreed to protect the little princess, not pretend to be her husband. How in the hell did Derrick think I’d be able to focus my mind with all this? He and his brother had the capacity to find the perfect job for an operative, where they were guaranteed success. I didn’t like it, but I had to trust that he and Rick were right. Don’t know how, but maybe Erica would be helpful for me. After all, she knew the protocol of hiding, so it should leave me time to myself to work through some of the crap built up in my mind. But she did try to escape, and you know you liked having to hold her down and get her under control.
I wouldn’t listen to my mind. There were rules against falling in love with a target. Albeit, Derrick fell in love with his target, and they are now married, helping run a company in Tampa, and living a happy life.
However, I’ve seen Ivan pissed. Sophia too. They were highly-trained agents with a license to kill. There was no way I was going to touch Erica, regardless of how gorgeous she looked. I still couldn’t believe she went from frumpy, annoying college girl to a vixen in heels with a spitfire attitude to boot. She appealed to me on more levels than one. No one’s even come close to grabbing my attention until now. I prayed the place we were going to had a gym or somewhere I could pump some iron and get out of my head, because thoughts of her were already filling them. Yes, I included the other head too. Geez, I’m a man; sue me.
A knock on the door acted as a bucket of ice water being thrown on me, forcing me out of my salacious thoughts and back to reality. Thank goodness for small miracles.
I watched as Derrick got up to open the door. “Yes?”
It was Jasper this time. “We’re ready to go, Chief.”
Derrick asked, “Did the cops find anything in the brush?”
Jasper nodded. “Affirmative. The guy was a professional hitman. The police have him in custody. It turned out he was wanted for questioning in the deaths of about five people. The police canvassed the area and confirmed it’s clear. They asked one of the choppers in the sky to do a scan for body heat to be on the safe side.”
Derrick smiled. “Wonderful news, Jasper.” He turned to us, “Okay, guys, let’s get you out of here while we have the chance.”
Erica and I both rose from the table as Derrick stood at the door waiting for us. Erica was hesitant to move, so I tried to do the gentlemanly thing, “Ladies first, Brittany.” She gave me an evil look, but I reminded her, “We have to get used to calling each other by our faux names, so might as well start now.”
It looked like she wanted to argue, but her shoulders soon slumped. I could already tell she was fighting to stay awake, when she tripped over her own feet. I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist and held her close to help her balance. God knows I didn’t need her twisting her ankle in those heels of hers.
She was resistant to let me hold her at first, until I spoke up and said, “Just practicing for the show we’re putting on.” I looked pointedly at her, “We do have to pull off that we’re newlyweds.” I leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead, as part of the experience, but I didn’t expect her breath to catch from the contact or a spark of electricity to pass through me. What in the…? Why did this feel right? Forget it, soldier; she’s off limits! My thoughts were spot on: she was off limits. I knew her father had many different ways to get rid of a body, and right now I was quite attached to mine.
Erica yawned a couple of times on the way to the plane. I imagined our flight to South Florida would find her fast asleep. It might be good for her, give her mind a break from everything that’s happened.
“Over here.” Jasper pointed to the middle plane, the one closest to the truck parked to provide cover.
Stopping in my tracks, which forced Erica to come to a halt, I looked back and forth between the middle and final planes in the hanger. “But I thought…?” I left the question open while I pointed to the plane they’d come in on.
Derrick was the one to speak. “We were going to use that plane, but having had a hitman in the bushes, we don’t want to risk it; he may have seen the plane’s registration on the side. We had everything moved to the middle plane. The other decoys are about to board.”
Erica quickly looked around the hanger, as did I. We were surprised to see four other sets of individuals dressed identically to what we were wearing, right down to the hair, beards, and everything. This is why I liked working for Titan Security: they left no stone unturned and made sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed.
I guided Erica over to the steps of the plane where Jasper and Cat, looking like our doppelgangers, were waiting. Cat truly was a master of disguise, able to take on any female form she wanted, within certain height limits of course. I actually had to do a double take—now that Cat was wearing the wig—just to make sure I had the right Erica. It might sound silly, but I was tired and cranky, and my mind wouldn’t leave me alone lately, recalling flashbacks of past military missions, haunting my sleep.
Following Erica up into the plane, I noted there weren’t many seating options available. I took a seat next to her, and Cat and Jasper took some seats in the rear—I’m guessing to talk about their next mission and to give us some privacy.
The engines turned on, and we proceeded to taxi out onto the runway. I looked over to see Erica’s knuckles turning white from the intensity in which she was gripping the armrests. I leaned over and asked, “Haven’t flown much?”
The color had drained from her face, making her appear as if she might be sick if I didn’t keep her mind off of things. She managed to shake her head, “The flight down here was only my third time flying, but first in a plane this small.”
“Lean against me, and I’ll keep your mind off of things while we take off.” I scooted down in my seat and lifted my arm so she could tuck herself against my shoulder. The feel of her against me sent comforting warmth through my body, making me feel somewhat whole for the first time in years. Could it be? I quickly dismissed the notion that she could be the calm to the storm that always raged inside me. Maybe it was just the case itself, knowing we had to act like newlyweds, that caused these strange feelings to surface.
I asked her how her sister, Dawn, was doing, since her and Rafe Prescott just discovered they’re expecting another little bundle of joy. She replied with one-word responses, indicating she was still on edge, so I asked more detailed questions, which was so unlike me. With the exception of my sister, Robin, I never really cared to get to know anyone and kept things simple. The less I knew about them, the smaller the risk I’d be hurt if something happened to them.
Slowly, but surely, Erica started responding when I asked if they knew the sex of the baby, when it was due, what they were going to name it, and so on. I could instantly see the love she had for her sister and her nephew, reminding me of a time when my entire family had been happy—at least until my mother walked out citing she couldn’t deal with things anymore.
At some point during the questioning, I realized we were already in the air. All three planes were flying along the same path with two fighters traveling alongside us. When we’d hit a certain point, the fighters and the other two planes broke off to continue on their projected course and, hopefully, divert the attention elsewhere, allowing us time to get to our destination.
It didn’t take long for Erica to settle against me and fall into a deep sleep. Poor kid. I’d do my job and protect her, but that’d have to be it. I couldn’t allow myself to feel for her or act on the emotions she was beginning to awaken deep within me. So why was I having a hard time pulling my arm away? I, instead, wanted to wrap her up so tightly no one could get to her. I tried to let myself think, but things began to slowly fade away into darkness.
I felt someone nudge my shoulder. I started to reach for the gun I usually kept underneath my pillow, when I realized I wasn’t in bed. A soft hand grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Jonas, it’s me, Cat. I hate waking either of you, but we are on final approach for our first stop. We need to get ready to hightail it out once the plane comes to a halt in the hanger. Do you copy?”
I let my eyes slowly lift and could feel the pilot throttling back the engines in preparation for landing. I nodded. “Got it.”
Cat walked away to give Erica and I a little privacy. I looked down to see she’d tucked one of her hands up under her chin, while the other was wrapped around my waist. Why in the hell did this feel so good? I wasn’t supposed to be able to feel anything. No one ever got to me in the club or in reality, not since I shut down my emotions after…no, I wasn’t going there, not again. But why Erica? Why did she stir something in the depths of my soul?
I shook my head to dispel my thoughts, which ended up jostling Erica awake. She startled, but I wrapped my arms around her, best I could, to calm her. “You need to wake up, sleepyhead. We’re about to land, and then need to make a quick exit to our next location.”
She looked up into my eyes, and I hated seeing the fear reflected in them. “I’m scared.”
I held her tight. “It’s okay to be scared; we all are at times. Just follow my lead and know I’ll protect you as if my life depended on it.” I laughed a bit, “Actually, if I don’t do my job right, my life will be in the hands of your parents.”
Erica managed a small smile, and her eyes brightened a bit. “You do know my parents are more bark than bite, right?”
I didn’t answer, as the plane began descending, which caused her to grip my clothes for fear she was falling.
It was still dark outside, only about an hour of nighttime left. “You ready to make a run for the car?”
Erica nodded, but didn’t say anything.
Cat and Jasper came up the aisle next to us. Cat was the first to speak. “We’ll let our pilot leave the plane first to put our bags in the limo. One of us will walk out with each of you to ensure you’re safely hidden inside the car, before climbing in with you.”
Erica grabbed my arm tightly, not liking the idea of going out with Jasper instead of me. I bent down to look into her eyes. “The reason we need to separate, just for a minute, is to confuse anyone who might be looking. They’ll see two sets of people who look identical but won’t know which person is which.”
Her eyes held confusion, but Cat went on to elaborate, “We’ll have two cars with us, one in front and one behind us, thanks to a friend of ours. They’ll check for anyone following. If the coast is clear, the driver will drop us off at a hotel close to the beach and continue on to the fishing pier around the way. That’s where you’ll pick up your next leg of the journey along with your orders and the coordinates to your destination.”
Jasper chimed in. “We’re here to draw the attention away from you until you get to your specified location. Rick has us staying in the area for a few assignments, so if you run into trouble, the paperwork should list us as your main contacts. Just let Rick know if problems arise, and he’ll get in touch with us. Stay safe.” He followed up with a slap to my shoulder. That was typical man affection for Jasper. He was a good agent who’d been threatened and forced to do things he didn’t want to in one of our assignments. He resisted the best he could, and Titan found out in time to protect his mom and his siblings as well as get him to safety. We’d thought he’d been a double agent, but he’s proven his worth ten times over in case after case since that time. Having Cat as his girlfriend didn’t hurt either. They were definitely a perfect match.
The door to the airplane opened, and everything played out as Cat had detailed. We said goodbye to them at the hotel, where they continued the charade of Brittany and Micah: happy newlyweds on their honeymoon. They walked into the hotel all lovey-dovey, with Cat draped all over Jasper and him grabbing hold her ass before planting several kisses on her neck and lips for all to see. Erica looked at me with wide eyes, “We’re supposed to act like that?”
I shook my head. “To me, that’s just overkill. We’ll figure it out as we go along. Just remember, when we’re in public, we’re supposed to be newlyweds.”
The limo pulled up to a marina. I looked around, almost certain this couldn’t be where we were headed, when the driver spoke up. “If the happy couple would, please, follow me.”
The driver opened the door for us and grabbed the two small suitcases and matching duffle before heading toward the end of the pier. I had Erica walk beside me, my arm around her waist, for the most part, as my hand slipped lower to give her ass a little pinch every now and then, causing her to jump. When she turned to look at me, I planted a chaste kiss on her lips or cheek, causing her to blush. I kept my eyes peeled in all directions as I laid on the whole “newlywed” deal for anyone watching us.
Surprisingly, the driver was guiding us to a seaplane. He handed our items over to someone on the docks before turning around with a bulky manila envelope in hand. “Russ will see you off, and I’ll stay close at hand to make sure you’re safely on your way. I’ll update Rick and Derrick with your status. The details to your next location, along with a few items you’ll need to get there, are in the contents of the envelope.”
My hand shot forward to shake the driver’s. “Thanks, man. I never caught your name or who you work for.”
His grip was a tight one. I’d bet he was a military man. “Peter. Let’s just say Rick, Derrick, and I used to run ops together.” Still gripping my hand and slapping the other against my upper arm, he added, “May your journey be safe and your mission quick.”
I nodded at him in understanding and watched as he walked away. “Thanks, Peter. Hope to see you around.” He seemed like a nice guy. I wondered if he was one of the men Rick was trying to recruit for Titan.
Russ cleared his throat. “We need to get you airborne. The dawn is approaching quickly.”
Wondering if they were part of the same operative group in the Air Force, I motioned my hand between Russ and Peter, but I didn’t even get to the point of asking my question. He simply nodded.
Russ held the door to the plane open and helped Erica inside, and then I climbed in after her. I motioned for Erica to put on the headphones hanging by a hook in front of her while I put on mine. I pulled out the contents of the envelope as Russ quickly untied us and wished us well. I found a GPS device, one I’d seen Sophia and Ethan—another computer and electronics expert who helped out Titan from time to time—working on. Knowing them, they had made the device untraceable. God, I loved working with these people. The coordinates were already put into place, so I found a mount on the plane’s dash for the device to sit and guide me to our location. It looked to be in the middle of the ocean. I was about to say, “What gives?” but Russ yelled out, “Start the plane now. We have incoming.”
I started the engine and pushed the throttle forward, forcing us out into the water and away from the docks. A couple of bullets ricocheted off the dock area as Russ ran toward Peter, ducking for cover before returning fire in the direction of the parking lot.
I yelled into the mic, “Can you hear me okay?”
Erica nodded.
“Good. We need to hightail it out of here. Once I get this baby in the air, I’ll need you to read me the instructions so we can get to our destination.” I handed her the paperwork along with some kind of device with a few buttons on it. The thing almost looked like a garage door opener, but in the middle of the ocean?
I was thankful it was still dark with little to no activity in the marine area. I punched the throttle forward, trying to pick up enough speed to get us airborne. When I felt the pontoons begin to lift, I pulled the yoke back and had us in the air and following the course plotted out for us on the GPS. I made sure to fly below a certain altitude to avoid being picked up on radar. Knowing Titan Security, they probably had a jammer on the plane so we were undetectable, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
Silence filled the cabin, and I could tell Erica was scared and breathing fast. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I didn’t know you could fly a plane?” Her voice held a note of curiosity.
“I took some courses in the military but found a love for intense missions, so I gave it up. However, I picked it back up when I came out of service, needing something to do with my weekends besides sit around and mope when I wasn’t on assignment.”
Glancing over, I saw a smile spread across her lips, ones I kept thinking about kissing but not daring to do so. It would be so much easier to portray someone who didn’t give a shit than to get involved. “What’s the smile for?” I wondered.
“You’re a thrill seeker, an adrenaline junkie, much like me.” She admitted sheepishly.
I did a double take. Not quite sure I’d heard her correctly. “You are? With what?”
She half laughed, half cried from the stress of the day’s events. “I guess that gives us something to talk about.”
With the assistance of the sun rising up across the horizon, bringing the dawn of a new day with it, Erica looked over the paperwork and began to read:
She turned the papers this way and that, but didn’t find any more information. I hated flying blind, so to speak, but at least the horizon looked promising, as far as this assignment went. I could see deserted tropical islands, and then some isolated one’s dotted with vacation homes belonging to someone famous or something. At least it wasn’t the desert. Thank goodness for that. I couldn’t let anyone know, not even my shrink, how I still had nightmares about the last mission there. All the blood spilled, the soldiers and civilians dying. If I’d only been quicker.
“Jonas? Everything okay? You’re scaring me.” Erica’s voice penetrated through my thoughts. I suddenly realized we’d dropped closer to the water.
I pulled the yoke back causing us to climb a little higher, when I suddenly saw an island the size of five or six football fields. The GPS started buzzing with activity. I flew over the island low enough to see what was there but high enough to clear the trees. I didn’t see any shelter, but that’s not to say there wasn’t any. The foliage and trees were quite thick in one area, making it difficult to see the ground.
“Are we supposed to stay there?” Erica’s voice sounded scared.
I tried to reassure her. “I’m sure there’s more than what meets the eye.”
I went to the outer banks of the island, circling it as directed, and told Erica to point the device toward an area that looked like part of the beach and trees but had a hint of an unnatural shape that lie beneath its surface. Sure enough, the area split in two to reveal a dock to keep the plane. Whoever owned this island sure liked their privacy. I would’ve never found the “garage” for the plane otherwise. The damn thing looked like something out of a spy movie.
Circling once more, I noticed the wind speed and the wave height and found the perfect spot to set the plane down. It was a little bumpy, but I throttled back, cutting the engines as we drove right into the docking area.
Sensing our entrance into the area, the lights clicked on. Erica looked over, “Should I close the doors now?”
I nodded.
The doors silently closed behind us. When they were shut, my mind instantly switched into operative mode. With no wave movement, I was able to exit the plane easily and jump over to the dock to secure one side before moving around to secure the other side too. I helped her out of the plane, grabbed our luggage, and then saw a tarp covering a familiar shape in the corner, which I assumed was our ATV.
“Let’s begin.”