She offered him a weak smile. “You know how good I am at taking orders.”
That earned her a sexy grin as he planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “Don’t scare me like that, again. Shit, when that wave dragged you outta here…”
She leaned into his chest, telling herself his thigh was probably too numb to feel the added pressure. “Next time, we chance the damn road.”
“Amen to that, sweetheart.”
Buck cleared his throat, glanced at them over his shoulder. “You two lovebirds done cuddling? Because we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands.”
Sloane staggered to her feet, one shaky fist holding the blanket, the other still clinging to Nick in case another rogue wave decided to open the door — drag her back into the ocean.They shifted in beside Buck, a large green blip showing on the radar with every rotation.
Nick groaned. “I assume that’s probably not the Coast Guard checking in on us? Maybe part of the backup Bodie called in?”
Buck snorted. “Dalton’s right. Oregon’s definitely rubbing off on you, and no. Rowan called the Coast Guard, and they’ve got a massive rescue on their hands south of here. Won’t have a boat handy for a couple hours. This…” Buck scrubbed a hand down his face. “This looks more like a mother ship. And no, not the kind I prefer with blinking lights and tractor beams.”
Nick sighed. “So, instead of aliens we’ve got cartel-level resources crewed by people who want to collect a multi-million-dollar bounty.”
Buck eyed Nick. “Now might be a good time to fill me in on this boss issue you mentioned.”
“It’s really not, but long story short, it’s not a burn notice. It’s a fully funded kill order with a bonus if they get Sloane and me together.”
“Fantastic.” Buck raked his fingers through his hair. “Fine. They want us? They can follow me into theNeedles.”
Nick coughed. “The Needles? Brother, I have no idea what that is, but just the sound of it suggests it’s a very bad idea.”
Buck shrugged, angled theRoswelltoward the shoreline as he increased his speed. “It’s a rock garden about a mile from here. Snugged up close to shore. Tight channel with lots of ‘unidentified’ submerged hazards. They’ll need to send out more small boats because a ship that size will rip its hull open if it tries to navigate the passage.”
“Which implies we could also rip our hull open.” Nick glanced at her. “Isn’t that a bit extreme when we aren’t sure it’s a?—”
Gunfire.
Stitching across the bow, creating little silver tufts along the water.
Buck veered hard to port, danced the boat through a series of deep swells. “You were saying?”
“You’ve piloted through this rock garden before, right?”
“Have a little faith, Colter.”
“Oh, I have plenty of faith. I just usually end up bleeding as a result.”
Buck clapped him on the shoulder. “Then, this won’t disappoint… Damn.”
Sloane arched a brow when more blips appeared on the radar. Multiple targets peeling off the larger one while another closed in from behind. “I’ll grab your rifle, target that one coming up on our stern?—”
A blast of static cut her off, a lone voice calling over the radio. “Hey, Landry, hasn’t Saylor told younotto come out in these conditions?”
Zain Everett — former Army Ranger sniper turned SAR specialist.
Buck clicked his mic. “Jesus, Zain, don’t tell me you dragged Saylor out here in this mess.”
Zain chuckled. “More like she dragged me. She knew as soon as Bodie said you’d taken theRoswellout that you’d need backup. And you know how much she hates missing out on the action.”
Saylor O’Conner — former U.S. Coast Guard Commander and Zain’s better half.
Buck scoffed. “Except where she’s?—”
“Don’t say she shouldn’t be out here because she’s pregnant unless you want an ass whooping. And trust me, she hits hard.” Zain paused, Saylor’s voice echoing in the background. “Looks like you’ve got company. I assume you’re headed to Tierney’s secret lair?”
