Chapter Twenty
Brock woke up when the electronic lock on the door to their suite engaged. He instinctively reached for the pistol he always kept within reach, the Glock already in his hand before he realized the woman who’d been sleeping between them was gone. How Mia had managed to slip undetected from between them was as puzzling as it was annoying, and right now, he was annoyed as hell.
“I swear, I’m going to tie her to the fucking bed the next time she saps all our strength.” And there would be a next time because he wasn’t letting her go. Nudging Tucker, Brock snarled, “Get up. Mia is on the prowl.” Tucker was usually the lightest sleeper Brock knew, so it spoke volumes that he’d slept soundly enough for Mia to slip away unnoticed.
“What the fuck? How did she get out from between us? Christ, I haven’t slept that hard in years.” Tucker was already pulling on his boots, and Brock wanted to laugh at his brother’s frustration because he didn’t doubt for a minute their little sub was going to pay dearly for this one.
“I don’t know how she did it or how she thinks she’ll get away with it when she didn’t take a keycard with her.” When Tucker started to charge past him, Brock shook his head. “Let’s see what she’s up to before we run out of here like a couple of bulls in a china closet. I don’t want to find out there is a perfectly good explanation and end up looking like an ass.” With most women, it wouldn’t matter to him one way or another, but Mia was different. She mattered. Brock watched his brother take a deep breath before nodding.
“You’re right. I don’t want to fuck this up, either. I know I said I was going to keep my distance, but she’s getting to me in a way I didn’t think would ever happen again.” Brock knew how difficult that admission had been for his brother, but he was damned relieved to hear them.
“Come on, let’s find out what she’s up to, and remind me to buy some damned vitamins when we get home. I have a feeling we’re both going to need them to keep up with her.” Brock would eat fucking children’s chewables if it meant he’d be able to keep up with the hot woman whose submissive nature was a perfect match for the two of them.
Twenty minutes later, they stood in the shadows watching as Mia used her finger to dab the last crumbs of pizza from her plate. She’d eaten two of the largest slices of pepperoni pizza Brock had ever seen. Hell, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to eat that much pizza as quickly, and he was a lot bigger. As if he’d read Brock’s mind, Tucker let loose a low whistle.
“Fuck me, I can’t even eat that much, and she’s just a little bit of a thing.”
“She’s not a thing, Caveman Jack.” Brock didn’t bother disguising his frustration. There were times he was convinced his brother was a throwback to another time.
“Well excuse me, I forgot you’re the newly appointed Chief of PCBS Police.” Tucker’s indignation was humorous since their younger sister always fussed about them referring to her as a “little bit of a thing.” Nell knew what they meant, but she rejoiced in any flaw she could find in their treatment of women, and she was particularly fond of giving Tucker seven kinds of hell. Brock kept hoping the two of them eventually admit how much they cared about one another, but so far, it was little more than a pipe dream.
“If you two are finished sniping at each other, we have a bogie off the port side. They are coming in so fast, they were too fucking close by the time they hit our radar.” Cam’s voice behind them caused Brock and Tucker to jump. Once a spook, always a spook—the damned man moves like a soft breeze. Cam shook his head at them, a wry grin tipping the corners of his mouth in amusement.
“Brock, you’re with me. Tucker, I want you to get closer to her, but don’t intercede until you’re forced to. Let’s see how this plays out. It seems odd that she just happens to show up on the Lido Deck at the same time we get company.” Brock had to agree, it was damned coincidental, and he’d found coincidences were damned rare. Damned rare, indeed.
Tucker’s eyes went ice cold, and he nodded before moving silently along the wall. The new position would make it easier for him to see any interaction between Mia and the speeding boat.
When she moved to stand at the ship’s rail, Brock wasn’t sure who he was the most frustrated with her for fooling them or him for believing her damsel in distress routine, but he didn’t have time now to mull it over. Pushing back the need to put his fist through the nearest wall, he followed Cam up two flights of stairs and came to an abrupt stop.
“Jesus, man, do you always carry a fucking arsenal along when you go on vacation?” There were several weapons set out—several damned impressive weapons—but it was the missile launcher that caught his eye. Looking at the military-grade, shoulder-held weapon to Cam, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Seriously?” He could only stare at the armaments with a mixture of shock and admiration. Cam’s grin should have been concerning, but Brock was too busy staring at the array of weaponry to worry about the former agent’s amused expression.
“What can I say? My family is important to me, and I believe in being prepared.”
Yeah, Barnes, you’re a regular boy-fucking-scout.
*
Tucker tried to rein in his temper because, despite the way the situation had first looked, Mia’s expression was one of confusion rather than expectation. From his new position, he could see her face clearly in the starlight. She appeared to be looking at the boat, but from the way her eyes narrowed, and her head tilted to the side, he didn’t think she knew for sure what she was seeing.
To the untrained eye, the small light bobbing up and down might not make sense, but as a former SEAL, he knew exactly what he was approaching. The inflatable currently flying over the water was running in virtual darkness, but that didn’t keep him from identifying it. The only light was from a small penlight Tucker would bet was being used to illuminate some fools attempt to load a weapon. Fucking amateurs.
As soon as the light went out, Tucker pushed off the wall. He didn’t know if it was instinct or years of training, but he knew what was coming. He was just a few feet from Mia when he saw the muzzle flash in his peripheral vision. Her eyes widened in confusion a split second before he hit her full force from the side. Wrapping his arms around her, he rotated in mid-air so his much larger body absorbed the force of the fall. He felt her jerk in his arms, but he didn’t dare take time to explain. Without slowing, he continued to roll until she was sheltered safely beneath him.
“Stay down. Don’t move until I tell you to.” Tucker’s gruff command went unanswered, but he knew she’d heard him because she went still in his hold—for a second, two tops.
“Get off me. Some son of a basket tried to shoot me. They’ll shoot you if you try to protect me. I’ll die a thousand deaths if they hurt you. Get off me, right now.”
Tucker was grateful she was so small because she was already a fucking handful. How the hell could someone so petite wiggle so much? Wrapping his legs around hers, he squeezed tight, immobilizing her.
“Stop fighting me, Mia,” he snarled out, speaking against the shell of her ear. “They don’t have a shot if we stay down. Cam and Brock are above us, let them do what they love.” When she started to argue, he kissed her ear. “Sweet cheeks, they live for this shit. Knowing Cam, he’s got all kinds of great gizmos up there, and they’ll have a fucking field day taking these jokers out.” Before she could respond, Tuck felt her go limp in his hold.
He didn’t have time to move them into a safer position before he heard the distinctive hiss of a missile above them, and he would have cheered if he hadn’t been so worried about the lifeless woman in his arms. Two seconds later an explosion lit up the night sky. Whoever they were, they’d been loaded for bear and probably hadn’t expected the vacationers to be well armed. Fuckers should have done their homework because they obviously didn’t know Cameron Barnes.
The deck was immediately flooded with light and seeing the blood pooling around Mia sent a wave of nausea and panic through him. Shouting for help, Tucker heard CeCe Barnes yelling at someone to let her go, and within seconds, she was pushing him aside. What the hell was it with small women tonight? Clearly, he needed to ramp up his workout schedule if he was getting moved around so easily by little people.
*
The sound of a gun being fired had CeCe leaping from the bed before Carl could stop her. She was dressed, had her bag in hand, and was headed to the door when Carl threw his arm around her waist, lifting her from the ground. He knew this woman better than she knew herself, and from the airy sound of her voice and the jackrabbit beating of her heart beneath his arm, he knew she was functioning on pure adrenaline.
“Where do you think you’re going, baby?”
“I heard gunfire. Someone could need my help.”
She hadn’t even had time to come fully awake yet. They’d been down this path before, and he knew the doctor side of her brain was functioning perfectly, but the safety side wouldn’t kick in for a while yet. It was his job to make sure she was safe—she didn’t always appreciate what she called their high-handed, micromanagement of her schedule. Carl didn’t give a rat’s ass, and Cam cared even less. When it came to their family’s safety—nothing was more important.
“You may be right but rushing headlong into a situation we know nothing about isn’t going to help anyone. Let me lead, and we’ll find out what’s happening before we barge into something we aren’t prepared for.” He’d heard the missile launch and explosion, so there was little doubt the situation had been contained, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Moving silently down the corridor, Carl heard Tucker’s call for help at the same time the other man came into their view. Tuck was sheltering Mia’s lifeless form as blood pooled beneath them. CeCe darted around him like a fucking rocket and was shoving Tuck aside before Carl could get his hands on her to hold her back.
“Fuck. I’d paddle your ass for that, but I know you’d like it.”
He stood back and watched her work, still amazed at her ability to hit the ground running. Because the cruise had been for CeCe, many of her friends were also medical professionals, and as they began filtering out into the open area, every one of them pitched in to help. When Cam stepped up beside him, Carl smiled at the excited look in his lover’s eyes.
“You look pleased with yourself.”
“You have no fucking idea. Not only did I get to vaporize the fucker who shot Mia, but I got to do it in grand style. I’d like to say it wasn’t fun, but why lie?” Cam was usually one of the least excitable people Carl had ever known, so seeing him lit from the inside with excitement was hot as hell. When Cam’s eyes met his, they went from amused to smoldering between one blink and the next.
Cameron Barnes was the only man Carl had ever wanted. There had been other women in his life before he’d met Cecelia, but there’d never been any other man. The promise in Cam’s eyes shot a bolt of heat to Carl’s cock, and he was forced to shift his stance or risk a permanent zipper tattoo.
The heated moment between them was broken when CeCe shouted a question about their distance from Houston. Cam returned his attention to her.
“We’ll dock in a couple of hours, pet, but the chopper Micah used is still on board if you need it.” Moving closer, Carl looked at Tucker Deitz and was shocked to see the depth of emotion in the other man’s eyes.
He’d known Tuck for several years and like everyone else had wondered if the man would ever give love another shot. The fear in his eyes spoke volumes, and Carl hoped the young woman being secured to a backboard would be alright.
“We’ll use the helicopter because the quicker we get her into surgery, the better off she’ll be. I’ve got the people I need here on the ship, but not the facilities. If we wait, we’ll have to deal with traffic, and that makes me crazy.”
Carl and Cam both nodded because CeCe was notorious for her boisterous frustration with traffic. It was one of the reasons they weren’t seriously considering a move back into the heart of the city.
“Is she going to be okay?” Tucker’s question hadn’t been asked of anyone in particular, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off Mia when he’d spoken. CeCe turned and grasped his hand to gain his attention.
“She’s going to be fine, Tucker. I was able to clamp and repair the worst of the vascular damage. But it’s a patch, and it needs to be fixed properly in a sterile environment. I know you soldiers are all about battlefield medical care, but I’m a little more particular about my patients. She needs surgery and a lot of TLC, which I’m going to leave to you and your brother. She’s going to be fine, I promise.”
Carl had watched CeCe deal with frightened families many times, patiently repeating the same assurances several times, yet she never seemed to become frustrated with the need to say the same thing again and again. He’d asked her about it once, and she’d explained she repeated what they needed to know until she saw the light of understanding in their eyes. He’d never fully understood that until tonight. Tucker hadn’t heard her reassurance the first time, but the second time his shoulders had sagged with relief, and there’d been an unmistakable sheen of unshed tears and relief in his green eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter lifted off. The pilot promised to return for Brock and Tucker if he could get clearance, and Carl hadn’t been able to hold back his laughter at the incredulous look on Cam’s face.
Yeah, I don’t think clearance is going to be a big problem.