Chapter Fifteen

A fter feeding the blasted sea turtles that his beloved wife loved so much, Wes and Ellie were trekking back to the Zodiac when they ran into a woman on the path. He instantly tensed, going into defensive mode, but when the two women embraced, he let his shoulders and his guard drop.

“Wes, this is Taman.” Ellie introduced them, and he gave the stranger a polite, but guarded smile. “We used to work at the hotel together. Taman, this is my husband, Weston Murphy.”

“You remember!” she exclaimed in thick, accented English.

“Some things, yes,” Ellie said, her voice laced with hope. “Not everything, but I’m working on it.”

Wes waited patiently while the women chatted, continuing to take in the surroundings and soak in the casual joy in Ellie’s voice. They might be taking baby steps, but they were moving forward, in the right direction, and that’s what mattered most.

“You be careful,” Taman said, and Wes’ hackles rose at her tone. “There was an attack.”

“What attack?” Wes asked.

When Taman began to describe how the bodies of the pirates had been found, Wes relaxed slightly. Dead men tell no tales, and no one knew he and his team were responsible for neutralizing them. Good fucking riddance.

“They claim American strangers killed them,” she added in a hushed tone, sending a side glance in his direction. “Now they want revenge.”

Not likely to happen.

“Who wants revenge?” Ellie asked, her expression becoming worried as she looked toward him.

“Nayvadius. He promises to kill the men who murdered his boy.”

Let him fucking try, Wes thought. Although he wasn’t worried about anyone finding them, he didn’t like this new piece of intel, either. It could mean complications later tonight, especially if there was a group of bloodthirsty pirates out there actively searching for them, seeking to avenge the men he and his team had killed. He’d warn the others and they’d be prepared like they always were.

“You must be careful,” Taman said again.

After thanking Taman for the warning, Wes and Ellie continued down the jungle path to where the Zodiac waited near some rocks on the beach.

“Do you think we should be worried?” Ellie asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

“No one’s going to hurt you,” Wes promised. “I won’t fucking let them touch a hair on your head.”

“I know, but I’m still worried for you and your team. As soon as it gets dark, the pirates come out and hunt the waters.”

“Would you feel better staying at the safehouse?” he asked, studying her closely.

“No! I want to be wherever you are, Wes.”

“Okay, but Cor and I are going to be diving, so you’re going to need to stay close to the others.”

She nodded and they began to tug the raft into the water. A part of Wes questioned himself for bringing her back to Indonesia, but the other part of him knew he’d never let her be alone anywhere ever again. They were partners. Wherever he went, she’d come, too.

Wes helped Ellie into the Zodiac and climbed in behind her. He turned the engine on and was maneuvering the craft toward their island when a low rumble caught his attention. His head swiveled around, searching for the source, and when he saw the boat approaching them fast, he swore under his breath.

“Get down, Ellie!” He hit the throttle and the Zodiac put on a burst of speed. Heeding his warning without question, Ellie dropped down, but she crawled forward and peered over the side of the boat.

“Who is that?” she asked.

“I don’t know, and we’re not hanging around to find out.” The rubber craft bounced hard, slamming into each wave, as Wes drove it forward. Reaching down, he grabbed a tactical vest, slipped it on and secured it. The weight of the Glock in his holster was reassuring, but he wished he had something a little bigger with a helluva lot more kick.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted another boat approaching and he swore, redirecting their craft, knowing he had to outrun these bastards. “Ellie! Stay down and be ready to move!” He yanked his phone out and hit Brand’s number. When the other man answered, Wes filled him in on their current situation then glanced down at his watch, rattling off their current coordinates.

“We’re on our way,” Brand said.

His team would be coming in the disguised fishing boat, which was practically a floating arsenal. All he had to do was evade these fuckers until his guys showed up and saved the day. No problem.

“Wes! There’s another boat!”

His attention spun and his heart sank. Fuck. Three enemy boats was a problem. They were closing them in, heading toward their raft at full speed. Everything in Wes knew he had one job to do, and one job only. And that was to protect Ellie with his life. He’d die before handing her over to these fucking pirates.

◆◆◆

Saltwater sprayed Ellie’s face and panic made her heart thump triple-time in her chest. They were surrounded, and unless Wes tried to barrel straight through the approaching boats—which held its own amount of risk—the situation could get very messy very fast. Not good. She knew his team was on their way, but how long would that take? Dammit. Why had she insisted on visiting the turtles? Wes was going to hate the poor creatures even more now.

Turning to face him, she saw the worried lines on his face. “Wes?”

“Come here, Ellie.” He eased back on the gas, all but stopping them. Ellie got up and hurried over. “Put this on.”

She looked down at the big tactical body armor then pulled it on without question and Wes tightened the straps. It was far too large, but it’s not like any of the guys wore a size small or even a medium. More like XXL. Wes pulled his gun from its holster and Ellie swallowed the lump of fear in her throat.

“I need you to stay by my side and be brave, okay? Brand and the guys are on their way. Everything is going to be fine,” he said, though he didn’t sound quite as assured as he had earlier.

The three boats pulled up, surrounding them, and Ellie counted three men on each boat. Nine against two. Sucky odds even for a Navy SEAL who could kick some serious ass. The men looked like nefarious pirates, too, with skin that had been exposed to too much sun and ratty-looking clothing that had seen better days. They each held a big, scary-looking machine gun while Wes only had a single pistol.

Shit, shit, shit. Her gaze scanned the water. C’mon, Motley Crew. Where are you?

A couple of the men said something to each other in Indonesian then the one who looked like he was in charge glared at Wes.

“One of your men killed my son,” he snarled. Nayvadius, she realized. The man Taman had warned them about.

“No clue what you’re talking about. We’re just out here feeding sea turtles.” Wes didn’t bother hiding his pistol or tempering the irritation and warning in his voice. In fact, she thought he let them all get a good look at the gun, allowing them to see he was armed. “Now why don’t you let us pass by before we have a problem.”

“Liar! I want to know who did it!”

But Wes didn’t say a word and Ellie realized she was holding her breath, desperately praying that Brand and company would appear.

“I know where your men are staying,” Nayvadius snarled.

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Wes’ fingers flexed around the gun’s grip and Ellie told herself to stay calm.

“If you do not tell me who killed my son then I will kill you all. I swear it.”

“Look, I think you have us mixed up with someone else—”

“Kill him.”

To Ellie’s complete horror, the second pirate lifted his weapon and opened fire. Bullets peppered the raft, blowing holes into it, and she screamed as Wes shoved her down. RAT-A-TAT-A-TAT! The rapid, extremely loud gunfire had her covering her ears. As the Zodiac hissed and shifted, she rolled to the side then glanced up to see Wes suddenly clutch his chest, lose his balance and stumble backwards. He fell over the side and landed in the ocean with a splash.

Ellie screamed his name as she scrambled up, determined to jump overboard and help him. But before she could reach the edge, a rough hand grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards hard.

“He’s dead,” the Indonesian growled. “Just like my son.”

“No!” she yelled, struggling to break free. “Let me go!”

“If he is not, then he will be soon.” Nayvaduius sent her a twisted smile. “The sharks will finish him off.”

“WES!” Ellie screamed, trying to break free. No, God, no, this couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t lose him. Not Weston…not the man who was so good to her and loved her so fiercely. They were just starting their lives together again.

Her husband, her lover, her best friend. Wes was the other half of her soul. Without him, she’d die.

“Get her on the boat,” he ordered. “We can use her.”

“Or kill her,” the other pirate suggested, and they laughed.

Ellie cried and struggled, and it took two men to drag her off the sinking Zodiac and force her onto the pirates’ boat. They tied her up and shoved her down onto the deck, wrapping the rope around the railing so she couldn’t throw herself overboard. Tears streamed down her face as the boat began to speed away, heading into open water.

Wes couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be. Every fiber of her body refused to accept it.

“NO!” Her scream tore through the air and her heart shredded.