At the same time though, it was frightening; the sheer joy of having her all to myself. I couldn’t get over that feeling of completion when she was cuddled up alongside me. The exhilaration of possessing her. Of loving her…
Loving her?
“I’m pretty sure I’ve demonstrated my willingness to go all the way,” Peyton finally replied, with a wry smile. “If you don’t know I’m all in by now…”
She reached up to pin her hair back, while squinting into the sun.
“Instead of dumping it all at once I say we bleed Donovan slowly,” Peyton said coldly. “Strategically. Manipulate him for once, rather than the other way around.”
Damn,I swore with admiration. She wasn’t running anymore.
She was hunting now.
“I think I just slid a little deeper in love with you,” joked Theo.
“That’s how it starts,” Peyton winked at him. “Next thing you know, you boys will be ring shopping.”
She leapt onto the boat like a smooth-legged gazelle, then bounced into the cabin. All three of us were watching, of course. All three of us were thinking the same thing.
That part bothered me a little, but it reassured me at the same time.
“Where to?” I asked Colson.
“North first,” he replied. “Then inland.”
“We probably need to get out of Central America,” I said. “Fast as possible.”
He nodded and jerked his head at Theo, who the captain was helping onto the boat.
“The Code Whisperer is already working on that.”
Colson turned slowly, his eagle eyes scanning for any sign we were being watched. If we could slip away now, without being noticed, we could melt right into the morning fishing fleet. Considering Donovan Prescott’s resources, that kind of escape would be as close as we’d get to having the upper hand.
“They’re going to come harder next time,” he said quietly. “You know that, right?”
“I know.”
“No more retrieval. They’re spraying bullets next time, for sure. And if we’re going to protect her…”
I ignored him, and pointed at the boat. Colson nodded and began walking.
“Let’s think positive,” I said, clapping the Marine on the shoulder.
His response was a grunt, but it was as friendly a grunt as I was going to get.
“I’m positive we’re going to need more ammo,” Colson mumbled.
