Chapter Eleven

Hawke’s Bay airport is small, isolated and surrounded by wetlands. Kamous landed the Learjet and taxied over to a metal hanger Jeb Wilson had rented for us. He shut down the engines. “Copy tower.” Removing his headset, he walked out of the cockpit with a wild look in his eyes. “The King’s plane landed behind us.”

Stone handed him the bottle of whiskey. “How many men did he bring with him?”

“Twenty.” Kamous guzzled down some booze. “He is also very interested in your female.”

Stone’s worried gaze settled on me.

I frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re talking about me?”

“Yes,” Kamous nodded. “Sergeant Stone has publicly claimed you.”

Oh yippee. I bet that had pissed off my father too. “Why would the King be interested in me? I’m not beautiful or sexy.”

“You are blonde and an American.”

“So?”

“The King has married eight blonde American women. He likes breaking their spirits.”

Gee he sounded a lot like Pops and Roberts. “He can’t make me marry him.”

“After a few weeks in the pit, you will do whatever he wants. Pray he does not discover you are the Scorpion; he will take you even if that means killing your man,” Kamous said grimly.

Over my dead body. “My father might have something to say about that. He’s a CIA assassin and he’s very good at what he does.”

Kamous glanced at Stone. “Is this true?”

“It is and do you really think I would let the King take her?”

Kamous shrugged. “You are outnumbered.”

I glanced out the window and did a double take. An obese, black man wearing a flowing neon green robe exited a cargo jet. I raised my binoculars to get a better look at him and shuddered. Blue tribal tattoos covered the man’s face making him appear demonic. His dreadlocks poked out wildly and reminded me of angry snakes. Fifteen soldiers in camouflage uniforms followed him across the tarmac. They were carrying enough weapons to start a small war.

“Kamous, is that the King?” I pointed at the large black man.

“It is.”

“Shit!” Taking the bottle of whiskey away from Kamous, I gulped half of it down and wheezed, “God, this stuff is nasty.”

Stone stared at me thoughtfully. “What are you up to, Tinkerbell?”

“By the time I’m done, the King will not want anything to do with me.” I put all my weapons in the restroom and stood behind Stone.

The guys were once again wearing their stone-cold killer expressions as King Saraki wobbled up the stairs. He snarled at Kamous, revealing sharp pointy teeth. “You allowed my daughter and granddaughter to be taken.”

“I was in Ghana buying weapons for your army when Eric Roberts’s mercenaries attacked. He slaughtered the guards and took them.”

The King bared his freaky teeth again. “What does he want?”

“Her.” Kamous pulled me into view. “Dead.”

King Saraki’s eyes lit up. “The Scorpion! You will bring me great honor.”

“I already have a job with the United States Army,” I said.

“I have never had a soldier for a wife.” His eyes roved over me. “You are too skinny. I need something to hold onto when I am fucking you.”

The first chance I got, I was shooting him in the balls.

Stone interjected, “Private Reynolds is a highly trained sniper, and a valued member of my team.”

“General Grandville will sell her to me.”

For the right amount of money, that fucking traitor would. A quick look around and I knew if we had to fight our way out, someone might be killed or severely injured. Time to go with plan B. I glued myself to Stone’s side, wrapped an arm around his hips and gazed up at him adoringly. “I can feel our baby moving inside me.”

For a fleeting moment, a strange yearning filled Stone’s eyes. “Can you?”

“Want to feel the little guy kick, snookums?”

Stone leaned down and his mouth claimed mine in a kiss so carnal my knees almost buckled.

Rodriquez let out a low whistle.

Stone lifted his head, and my eyes widened at the hunger on his face. I could almost believe he wanted me.

“My woman and child are not for sale,” Stone declared emphatically.

The King bristled. “I will have her and there is nothing you can do to stop me!”

I could feel the bile rising in my throat. Oh yeah there was. I took a quick step forward and puked all over King Saraki’s fancy robe.

His screech of horror was music to my ears, and I emptied my stomach on his boots.

“Get her away from me! Get her away from me!”

Grinning like a loon, Stone hurriedly stuffed me in the bathroom. “Stay put.”

“Yes, sir.” I rinsed the yuck out of my mouth and listened to the King’s melt down. It seemed he had a bad case of germaphobia. I got a new toothbrush out of the drawer and scrubbed my teeth. God, I hated the taste of whiskey.

Saraki’s shouts stopped abruptly, and I cautiously looked out.

His vomit covered robe, and boots lay on the floor.

I opened the door further and a giggle escaped me. Saraki stormed across the tarmac, naked as the day he was born. I cocked my head in disbelief. He had ugly human eyes tattooed on each butt cheek. Huh? The all-seeing ass?

“Shit! I thought we would have to fight our way out,” Tex said.

I sighed in relief. “I can’t believe Plan B worked.”

“I am also astounded,” Kamous announced.

Johnson shook his head. “Whiskey makes you puke?”

“Yep, I’m allergic to it.”

“I can’t believe King Saraki is leaving before he knows his daughter and granddaughter are safe,” Rodriquez added.

Kamous rubbed his jaw. “He has over two hundred children and females have little value.”

“If he shows up again, I’m neutering him,” I stated.

Every inch a predator, Stone said, “I’ll help.”

“And I,” Kamous said.

His gaze focused on King Saraki’s retreating soldiers, Rodriquez inserted, “Me too.”

“Count me in,” Tex responded.

King Saraki stomped up the cargo ramp.

His soldiers followed and when the last man was inside, the ramp closed.

Johnson let out a humorless laugh. “He’s cutting and running.”

“Huh? I thought he was a cold-blooded killer who never backed down from a fight.”

Kamous grabbed the whiskey bottle. “It’s been ten years since Saraki has gone into battle.”

“From the size of the scar on his left hip, someone botched a hip replacement surgery. Saraki’s lucky he can still walk,” Tex said.

The cargo jet taxied down the runway and we watched it take off.

When they didn’t drop a bomb on us, I waved at the departing jet. “Bye-bye and your penis is the size of a pickle.”

The guys groaned and passed the bottle of whiskey around.

Stone handed me a bottle of water. “Drink up, the humidity at Lake Matheson is eighty percent.”

“Oh yay.” My stomach roiled unpleasantly. The puke covered clothes stank to high heaven and the last thing I needed was to start vomiting again. “Got any plastic bags? I need to clean that mess up.”

“No, I will do it,” Kamous said. “You did the impossible. Without firing a single shot, you made King Saraki retreat.”

I bowed. “It was my pleasure. How did you meet your wife?”

Kamous smiled fondly. “Aisha ran me down with her jeep. Once I had healed from my injuries, I hunted her.”

“Oh. How romantic.”

A grizzled, white male peered into the cabin. “Gotta say I’m impressed all of you are still breathing. The last time Saraki visited New Zealand he left a pile of bodies behind.”

“We have a secret weapon.” Stone held out his hand. “I’m Sergeant Alexander Stone and we’re the Alpha Dogs.”

The old guy shook his hand. “Jeb Wilson. I’ve got your supplies, and the satellite photos you asked for.” He wrinkled his nose. “You got a dead body in there?”

“Nah, I got air sick.” I picked up my gear and carefully stepped over the mess on the floor.

Jeb moved out of my way as I hurried down the stairs. “I didn’t know the brass allowed females on a Force Recon team.”

“I’m special.” I surveyed the area, looking for any of King Saraki’s soldiers. My shoulders sagged in relief. I didn’t see any.

Stone planted a firm hand on my back. “C’mon sweetheart, we have a mission to prepare for and I want to know all about your HALO jumps.”

Sweetheart? I wish. Stone was the one man who could probably stand up to my father and live to talk about it.

The sergeant snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Start talking.”

“I’ve parachuted from 5,000 feet twelve times. My first HALO jump was from 15,000 feet.”

“Were you jumping into combat situations?”

“Just the HALO. My father was sent to terminate Abu Islamiyah on the Philippine Island of Siargao, and he brought me along for backup.”

“And?”

I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. “I didn’t land in a tree. I didn’t break a leg, and my father terminated his target.” I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him I had landed in a bog, and it had taken Pops an hour to pull me out.

“How old were you?”

I winced. He just had to ask. “Fourteen,” I mumbled.

“Fourteen! Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.”

Tex butted in, “The question should be: Have you done a HALO jump since then?”

“No, just skydiving for fun.”

Stone rubbed the back of his neck. “When I finally meet your father, I’m going to beat the living hell out of him.”

“That’s not a good idea. My father fights dirty.”

“So do I.” He stomped into the hanger.

Tex caught my arm. “I’ll go over all the safety protocols with you.”

“Thanks.”