Chapter Three
Clint’s eyes feasted on the delicate bones and graceful lines of Sarah’s smooth back. The fatigues he’d borrowed from a smaller friend were sinfully tight on her, outlining the rounded moons of her shapely ass and causing him to salivate. It had been a damn long time since he’d seen anything that sexy in army fatigues. He didn’t mean to stare, but he was a man after all, and he knew he was in fucking trouble. Big tits and a nice, tight ass were his weakness.
She quickly slipped the T-shirt over her head before turning to the mirror over the dresser and inspecting her appearance. It wasn’t bad, covered everything it needed to, yet Clint sensed her displeasure. The wet bra she was wearing soaked through immediately, emphasizing the shape and fullness of her tits and the fact her nipples were hard as berries. For a crazy moment, he visualized rolling them on his tongue while he was fucking the sass right out of her.
Her eyes flew to him. Did she honestly think he wouldn’t notice? Any red-blooded male with a healthy appetite for the opposite sex would look. His lips twitched, seeing the anger simmering in her eyes. He grinned. She was pissed.
“Go ahead, damn you, look until your eyes fall out, just as long as you get me out of here and home.”
“As long as we know where our priorities are,” Clint said, purposely running his eyes down the length of her. She was full of piss and vinegar, but damn if she didn’t have the body of a goddess! In spite of the circumstances, he felt a heat uncurling deep inside his gut, a clear indication the little witch in front of him was turning him on.
It didn’t surprise him. But the circumstances were hardly normal and he knew he had to stay focused. He could think about taming her later, when they had more time. He liked a challenge and Sarah seemed to like tossing them out, haphazardly.
“What about shoes?” Sarah frowned, slapping her hands on her hips. The action only stretched the material of her shirt tighter across her tits. Clint expected the shirt was going to give and split down the middle at any second.
A sight he'd like to see.
His eyes fell, taking in the scarlet tipped toes peeking out from under the hem of her pants, glad he’d had the foresight to grab her sneakers before leaving the bathroom. They weren’t designed for hiking through the jungle, but they were better than nothing. Pulling them out of the side pocket of his duffel bag, he dropped them at her feet. “Hurry up and put them on.”
They just missed landing on her toes, and she shot him a scowl before doing his bidding. “I don’t like you,” she mumbled beneath her breath.
“Good, then we’ll get along great,” he retorted.
“I doubt it. And I’m warning you right now, I’m too independent to take orders from an overbearing man and get along with him too. You seem the type that enjoys giving orders and expecting them to be carried out without question. But I can take care of myself.”
Clint snorted. “Yeah, you’ve done a good job of it so far.”
Sarah scowled. “Everyone needs a little help now and again. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She sat on the edge of the bed to slip on her sneakers. “Just how do you know Susan?” she asked as she was tying them. “I’ve known her since high school, and she’s never mentioned knowing anyone like you. Of course, I seriously doubt we travel in the same circles.”
“We don’t have time for conversation,” Clint said, ignoring her snub. He checked his watch for the time. Couldn’t she move any faster? His eyes went back to her, noticing she moved like she had all the time in the world. Well, he bet that changed once the shooting started and they were on the run.
“What now?” she asked, straightening. She gathered her hair, twisting it in a bun at the nape of her neck before tucking the loose ends into it. He tried not to visualize that hair wrapped around his hand. “Do we wait for the cover of darkness?”
It sounded like a line from a suspense movie. He snorted. “Not hardly, considering they’ll be coming for you soon. We’re getting the hell out of here now.” He knew it was going to be risky making an escape before nightfall, but they couldn’t afford to wait.
Sarah’s eyes moved about the room, touching on each of the windows. “Just how do you plan to get us out of here? Squeeze through the bars?”
His gaze fell briefly to her full tits. “Cute,” he said sarcastically. “We’re going to move to the next room and pray the fucking windows don’t have bars on them.” He pivoted to the bed and zipped up his duffel bag.
“But, we’re two stories up,” Sarah reminded him with worry in her tone.
Clint barely spared her a glance. “That’s right, let’s go.” He wasn’t about to start babying her this early in the game. He’d seen her spunk and knew she had enough grit to overcome most obstacles.
Moving to the door, he opened it a crack and peered out, motioning her to join him. She scooted in front of him and, when he opened it all the way, dashed across the hall to the next room. But before she could open the door, Clint grabbed her by the collar, forcing her against the wall.
“Wait a minute, damn it!” he whispered harshly, glaring down at her. Her careless actions only proved his earlier observations about her commonsense, or lack of. “That’s a damn good way to get your head shot off!”
Sarah squirmed around with her mouth open, but he hushed her before she managed to get a word out. Their eyes clashed briefly, before he cautiously opened the door. Once he was satisfied there was no one in the room, he jerked her in behind him, ignoring her huff of outrage. He quickly made his way to the window, yanked back the heavy curtain, and muttered a prayer of thanks. With no time to waste, he opened the window, sticking his head out to take in their surroundings.
The sun was rapidly disappearing behind a mountain as twilight settled in. Clint guessed they had about half an hour before it would be completely dark, and even less before someone came looking for her. They were running out of time. He unzipped his bag and pulled out a long coil of rope. At the end of it was a metal device, shaped like talons, which he positioned carefully just beneath the lip of the window ledge. He tested it to make sure it was secure before turning back to her.
It was obvious by her expression she’d figured out what was going on. And just for a moment, he saw a glimmer of fear in her eyes. She took a step back, shaking her head no before he uttered a word. “You want to get out of here?” he jeered, his words cold and exact. He’d give her ten seconds to make up her mind before he tossed her out the window.
“I can’t do it,” she said, her tone bordering on panic. “We’ll be sitting ducks.”
“Sure you can,” he insisted, trying to remain calm.
She continued to shake her head, not convinced. “I’m…I’m afraid of heights. And besides, I failed shimmying down ropes in gym.”
He swore, losing patience, knowing the key was taking the choice out of her hands and seizing control. Before Sarah got too far out of reach, he made a grab for her, hauling her easily toward the window against her will. At least she had the common sense not to scream.
“I’ll go first and talk you through it.” He forced her onto the wide ledge. There was no mistaking the reluctance in her tense body, and Clint knew they were going to lose valuable time because of it. He followed her gaze when she glanced down.
Directly beneath their window was nothing but a thick, green carpet of grass. Nothing to break a fall. The only thing going for them was there wasn’t a window beneath them, nothing but a long stretch of solid, brick wall.
“Once we reach the ground, if we’re still alive, do we head for that clump of trees off in the distance?”
They were bordering the edge of the estate. From there, it was nothing but dense jungle. Sarah began chewing on her bottom lip, leaning against his hand, which was pushing her. It didn’t take Clint long to lose patience. “You might not care what happens to you, but frankly, I don’t relish the idea of getting my,” He finished his crude comment in a low, gritty voice against her ear, "fucking balls cut off."
The graphic description of what they’d most likely lop off his body seemed to snap Sarah out of her frightened stupor. She was suddenly bristling like an angry cat with its back up and jerked around to face him with anger alive in her eyes. “I have a hard time believing you and Susan are friends. She’s too gentle and mothering to be associated with someone like you.”
Clint released a gruff sound at Sarah’s comment. Susan and he were cousins, but right now, he didn’t feel like going into any explanations. “Whatever it takes to get the fucking job done, angel. Do you want to get out of here bad enough to risk your neck, or do you want to hang around and see what Rodriguez has in store for you?” To get his meaning across, his eyes moved over her insultingly, stripping her, leaving little doubt what he thought Rodriguez had in store for her.
“I’ll be right on top of you!” she said without thinking, pressing her mouth when Clint’s mouth twitched with humor she obviously didn’t appreciate.
He sat on the sill next to her, taking up the slack of the rope. “Just remember I’ll be beneath you if you run into any trouble.”
He swung over the side, fully expecting her to follow him. When she didn’t, he glanced up to see Sarah peering over the side, her expression one of worry. Not saying a word, Clint just focused his eyes on her, narrowing them in warning. Imitating his actions, she took the rope in her hands and slowly swung her body over the ledge, making sure her foot was secure on the first knot before releasing the ledge.
“If I fall, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to land on him,” he heard her grumble.
Clint started down, and almost immediately felt Sarah’s sneakers scrape across his knuckles instead of the strategically placed knots. “Damn it! Watch what you’re doing!” He was careful to keep his voice low.
“I’m sorry, I can’t help it!” she whispered back, but he caught the smile she flashed him. “It serves you right for making me shimmy down a rope in the first place.”
“I’ll bet,” Clint muttered. About the fourth time she scraped his knuckles, he let go of the rope and jumped the rest of the way to the ground.
He landed on his feet, and Sarah landed on top of him. A grunt left him on impact, and a loud woof of air escaped his lungs as her body bore him to the ground. She was no lightweight, but maybe that was because she had an abundance of curves. Clint hit the ground with a bone-jarring force. The thick, rich carpet of grass wasn’t as cushiony as it had appeared from the two-story window.
“Thank you for stopping my fall,” the little witch had the nerve to say. There was no denying the humor in her tone.
Eyes closed, Clint remained silent. Under normal circumstances he might have found her remark funny. But he was the one who’d landed hard on the ground and had the wind knocked out of him. He couldn’t spare the breath to make a nasty comment. She wouldn’t like the words he’d choose anyway.
“Are you dead?” She questioned in a whisper that was very close to his mouth. “No, I can’t be that lucky!”
Shit! It was surprising how crushing the weight of a woman could be when she was lying on top of you and you didn’t have a single drop of air left in your body. He parted his legs, unconsciously looking for a more comfortable position. The movement only made him aware of the intimacy of their aligned bodies, but he was hardly in the mood to appreciate that his dick was sung against her pussy.
Sarah’s indignant huff sounded as loud as a crack of thunder. With a huff of disgust, she put her hands against his chest and gave herself a push up.
A harsh growl rumbled through Clint’s heaving chest as he glared up at her. “What in the hell are you trying to do…kill me? Why the fuck did you let go of the rope in the first place?”
“When you let go, I thought it was all right to do the same,” she admitted, brushing off the back of her pants as though there was dirt on them. She avoided looking him in the eye. “Why did you let go?”
“To get the fuck from you and those damn sneakers,” he shot back, getting to his feet and glancing down at his scraped knuckles. His gaze returned to her. It satisfied him to see her take an unwilling step back. Good, she should be afraid of him. He was mad enough to spit.
“Well, how was I supposed to know? I thought you jumped because we were close enough to the ground.”
With a snort, he gave the dangling rope a sharp outward snap, which released it from the windowpane before dropping down to them. “I was close enough.” His look was lethal. “You weren’t.”
He quickly stuffed the rope in his bag, his eyes scanning the area. He expected to hear an alarm sound at any second. “Come on, let’s go.”
Grabbing his duffel bag, Clint sprinted in the direction of the trees, leaving Sarah to follow. She’d learn soon enough that he wasn’t going to wait for her. They’d almost reached the safety of the trees when the first shot rang out. It whizzed past them ricocheting off a nearby tree, splintering the bark over their heads. He glanced back, swearing. Just as he’d expected, Sarah had come to a halt and was looking around as though wondering what had just happened.
“Keep moving!” he commanded, grabbing her arm. He gave her a violent shove in front of him where he could keep his eyes on her, and ducked when another bullet whizzed past. Soon after, a volley of gunfire erupted, forcing Clint to push her to the ground before they shot her head off.
She screamed when he careened into her and, in seconds, they were slipping on the muddy earth. Keeping his hands on her hips, he forced her to crawl behind a large tree. As they came to rest against it, flying bark sprayed the area around them.
“We have to keep moving!” Sarah cried above the sound of gunfire. “They’re coming!” She tried to struggle to her feet, but Clint easily held her down.
“No!” he said against her ear. “They’re still back at the house. They’re shooting wild, hoping to scare us out in the open. We still have a good head start,” he finished in a calm tone.
“You sound like you’re used to this,” she commented, trembling beneath his weight. She cried out again when another bullet hit the ground in front of them.
Clint forced her head down, lying protectively over her, all the while knowing that if a bullet went through him, it would probably go through her too. “Pray, angel.”
It seemed a lifetime before the sound of bullets ripping through the air finally ceased. Clint cautiously raised his head and narrowed his eyes toward the house, keeping his ears alert for any sounds that indicated they had company coming. The only noise he could hear was their breathing. He moved to his feet slowly, offering his hand to help Sarah to hers. “Now they’ll come after us.”
He was glad he didn’t need to tell her to run. Sarah turned and took off like the devil himself was on their heels. Clint remained close behind, pacing himself to her speed because he could easily outrun her if he wanted. Occasionally, he put his hands on her to guide her in the right direction.
They ran blindly through the thick underbrush, quickly absorbed in the lush greenery surrounding them. The jungle was dense, which would aid their escape. Clint knew they would be hard to find, but not impossible. They could hardly see what was in front of them, moving at a speed he thought would be impossible for Sarah. Everything in their path was a thick blur. Everything but the pain of branches and prickly bushes slapping against them, tearing at their hair and clothes.
They finally broke through into a small clearing. Before Sarah could bring her wild speed under control, she tripped to her knees with a jarring force, crying out with pain. Clint was directly behind her, but he managed to stop just before running her over. He dropped to his haunches, remaining alert and ready for anything.
“We have a good head start, but there’s ways of hunting someone down other than on foot.” He was thinking about the possibility of dogs or an air search. His eyes moved over her, making her out with the help of the full moon above them. “You all right?”
Sarah nodded, obviously too winded to speak. Clint allowed himself the luxury of falling back upon the cool, damp earth and she followed suit, but not before checking the ground around her. He grinned, realizing she was probably looking for bugs or snakes. Those things were the least of her troubles. And Clint had a feeling that by the time he got Sarah off the island, she was going to experience an adventure she’d only read about in books.
“It’s dark now. Surely, Raul’s men can’t find us tonight.”
For a moment, all that could be heard was their rapid breathing and the early sounds of awakening nightlife. “We need to keep going, Sarah.” It was the first time he’d called her by name.
“Why?” Her voice was quiet and small, revealing her exhaustion. “How can they find us in the dark?” She let out a low groan. “Oh, God! Running full speed through a jungle while being shot at doesn’t compare to jogging on a treadmill.”
Clint knew enough about women to keep his mouth shut when it came to talking about the shape she was in. “They won’t be looking for us tonight, but between now and morning, we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. I know you’re exhausted, but you’re going to have to find the stamina to keep going. Think you can do it?”
“If you can, I can. Just where are we going?”
Clint could hear the tiredness in her voice. She sounded like she was already half asleep, which meant she was too relaxed. “The other side of the island.”
“That sounds like a serious trek. How big is this island and how long will that take?”
“Three days.”
“Three days!” Sarah sat up, and turned toward Clint. “I can’t fathom escaping on foot if it’s going to take us that long to reach safety.”
Clint did more than sit up; he got to his feet, scooping up his duffel bag.
“What’s waiting for us on the other side of the island?” She rose to her feet, releasing a groan.
“Nothing yet. I’ve arranged for a plane to pick us up Tuesday, around thirteen hundred.”
“Military time, that figures. And when would that be?”
“One o’clock.” Lord, he hoped she stopped asking questions soon. He was almost tempted to inform her she was using up valuable air she’d need for running, but somehow Clint didn’t think that would shut her up.
“I didn’t know there was an airport on the island. I arrived by boat.”
There wasn’t, only he didn’t feel like going into any long explanations about it with her now. In less than an hour, he knew her well enough to recognize she asked too many damn questions, about everything. And talkative women irritated the hell out of him. But then, he knew a sure fire way of shutting them up and wondered how Sarah would react to his methods.
“What about the rest of your men? Where are they?” She stepped behind him as he turned to head back into the jungle. He halted so abruptly she bumped into him.
He spun around to face her. “The rest of my men? I’m all you’ve got, angel. If I don’t get you out of here, no one will.” He started walking once more.
“Great, a one-man army. I hope you’re good,” she half mumbled under her breath.
Tired of her smart mouth, Clint reacted without thinking, spinning around so fast Sarah jumped back with a startled gasp. He reached for her and jerked her up against him until they were suddenly nose to nose. Her eyes widened with alarm, meeting his easily in the darkness.
“You don’t have to worry about whether I’m fucking good or not. I’m very good at everything I do. You’ll want to keep that in mind the next three days. When I tell you to do something, you do it…got it?” They were so close he could feel her warm breath against his face.
Clint couldn’t see her expression, but he could tell by her tone she wasn’t happy. “Who do you think you are, bossing me around like I don’t have a brain in my head?”
“Just in case you still haven’t figured it out, I’m a mercenary. I hire my services out to the biggest purse,” he explained, catching her small gasp before she drew herself up.
“I don’t care what you are. You’re in for a big surprise if you think I’m just going to follow you around like a little puppy and meekly jump at every command.”
“Do you know where you’re going?” he questioned softly.
“No but…”
“Do you know how to get off the island?” he continued in the same tone of voice.
“No but…”
“Then I suggest you let me do my fucking job, lady,” he growled, fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. He knew what he had to do to get them off the island alive, but if she defied him at every turn they were in for a rough three days. Warning bells went off when she suddenly relaxed against him.
“Yes, sir.” Her voice was as soft and sweet as a southern belle.
Clint frowned, wondering what she was up to. Her submissive response had a definite undercurrent of grit and steel, something he would normally admire if the circumstances were different. Not now when so much was at stake. He hoped for her sake she knew the importance of following an order when the time came.
“Do you mind letting go now?” She tried to break away gently, but Clint refused to release her, still trying to figure her out. When she jerked her arms a second time, he tightened his grip even more. Then, without warning, she pulled her leg back and kicked him.
“Ouch!” He released her immediately, reaching down to rub his shin, angry with himself for not seeing it coming. “You little bitch!”
Rubbing her arms Sarah made a sound with her lips warning him to be quiet. “You want them to hear you?” He glared at her in annoyed silence. “Honestly, you’re supposed to be the expert, and here you are making enough racket to wake the dead.” She moved off in the direction they’d been going.
Clint let her go, only because he knew if he put his hands on her now he’d probably strangle her. And he hadn’t gone to all the trouble of rescuing her just to kill her. Damn her, he knew she was going to be trouble. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there was something about her that was having a powerful affect on his libido. Susan owed him big time.
He let out a curse, hearing her movements in front of him. Talk about waking the dead— she was thrashing through the brush like a wounded elephant. He shook his head, his mouth fixed in a grim line as took off after her, wishing fervently that he hadn’t given up smoking. He had a feeling before it was all over she was going to push him back into a lot of his old habits.