Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

T hom would have liked to be every bit the angry daddy that Mac seemed to think he ought to be. He would have liked to get on the radio with Avery, telling her to get her cute little butt back to Cadiz. But Finn’s rescue and safety had to come before his own selfish need to keep Avery out of the fray.

“There is no one better,” said Mac. “But if you need her to stand down, we can leave her here.”

Thom shook his head. “No. I promised her that our relationship wouldn’t interfere with her work.”

“I get that.” Mac put his hand on Thom’s shoulder. “I do, but I also know the need to keep your woman safe. We’ll make it work one way or another, but I’ll understand if you want her grounded.”

“Do you have another pilot in mind?”

“You’re right,” Mac sighed. “Junior is as good as anyone else and better than most, but no one comes close to Avery’s combination of skill, experience, and courage. She’s fearless. I don’t envy you that. At least Willa just wants to cook gourmet food and take people on high-end wilderness trips… and save every mangy mustang on the planet.”

“Gourmet and mustangs,” Thom mused. “That actually sounds pretty good.”

“Fucking A,” Mac scoffed. “Seriously, she makes this one dish that is so good. Every bite is worth the three hours I spend on the treadmill afterward just trying to run it off again. Admittedly, those kinds of skills don’t help much when it’s a life or death situation.”

“Fucking A,” he agreed, his turn now to pat Mac on the shoulder. When it came to the women of Wild Mustang’s elite security force, they were all loved, all cherished, and all of them skilled in their own way. But right now, it was Avery’s specific talents that everything seemed to hinge on the most.

A very watched her fuel carefully. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she told Mac she had just enough to get to Sardinia. The fact was if she was right about the weight of her remaining munitions, she’d be landing on fumes. And she needed to land the chopper safely or she’d never be able to strike a deal.

Fortunately, the wind was blowing in her favor and she made it to Sardinia in good time. The gang she had been dealing with was more than happy to trade the workhorse Sikorsky for the sexy prototype. She was even able to get them to throw in some extra fuel, infrared goggles, black parachutes, rebreathers, and an inflatable boat. Fully loaded, she lifted off. It was dark and the Sikorsky had been equipped with stealth technology. Although she knew she ought to make a beeline for Cadiz, she had a hunch she wanted to check, and so detoured.

Ducking below radar, she engaged the stealth feature and skimmed along at sea level toward one of the many rock outcroppings that made up most of the tiny, unmanned islands in the area. She remembered a small grouping that formed a horseshoe-like cove; it was just the kind of place Fariq might want to hide. Sure enough, when she swung around the end of the island, she spied his familiar yacht.

I’ve got you now , she thought… or more correctly, we’ve got you . Turning back for Cadiz, she pushed the chopper for all it was worth. And still when she got there, the corporate jet was gone. Mac must have sent Junior to take Christian back to Arizona, along with anyone not needed on the raid. She suspected that would leave Mac, John, Croft, and Noah for the assault, with her and Thom providing backup.

“Base, this is Mustang Sally. I’m coming in hot with a new sweet ride, lots of party favors plus lots of goodies for you and the boys. Why don’t you boys come on out and I’ll take you to the party!”

O nce the helicopter was on the ground, Thom climbed in beside her, leaned across to kiss her, and just as his lips went to claim hers, she whispered, “Meow.”

His lips slanted across hers in a kiss that was hungry and inviting. Avery could feel her toes curl, her nipples bead, and her pussy clench. She’d like to have said that it was the anticipation of going into a battle that had her system amped up and firing on all cylinders. And while that might have contributed to how she was feeling, what had her massively turned on was Thom and not just Thom, but that he seemed to understand and support her decision.

“Where we headed, Avery? Did you get a reading on Finn?”

Avery grinned. “I did indeed. Your Finn is in a stateroom on the aft starboard side.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“Remember the bandanas Mandy had made with the company logo on them? It’s hanging out of the porthole.”

Croft chuckled. “That’s my Finn.”

Thom was chuckling too. Though he said nothing, he caressed her with his gaze before turning his face to the window and toward the rocky islands now coming into view.

Avery set down on a spit of land close enough to make a strike against Fariq. He’d chosen this location well. It was an easy jump away from land and yet removed enough from the main shipping lanes not to be seen. Too bad it wasn’t as secret anymore as he, hopefully, still thought it to be.

As night fell, the team readied themselves. The plan was for Avery to get them in close and Thom to jam their communications, allowing their small team of four to take their underwater gear, drop into the water, and silently make their way to the yacht.

Once onboard, John, Mac, Noah, and Croft would split up—Croft and Noah would get Finn; John and Mac would keep watch, and if necessary, provide distraction and cover while the other three made their run back into the water. At that point Mac and John would join them and then the five would make their way to the rendezvous point. If all went according to plan, they would snatch Finn and get back to Avery and Thom without a shot being fired.

Avery flew in close, keeping watch on the two patrol boats that should have been circling Fariq’s yacht.

“Looks like everyone’s either on a smoke break or just flat not doing their job. They haven’t moved, but we’ll keep an eye on them,” said Thom.

“Good luck,” Avery said as they disembarked.

The last to drop into the water, Noah flashed her a wink. “Luck ain’t got nothin’ to do with it.”

Avery moved to higher air so she was less likely to be spotted. And then they waited. She hated waiting. While Thom monitored the yacht for any hint that the team might have been discovered, she kept a sharp eye on the patrol boats, still making their lazy sweeps.

“I always have to remind myself that we are the best at what we do,” said Avery quietly.

Thom reached over and squeezed her hand. “That we are… all of us.”

“Accidents happen, though. Even to the best. Why is everything so dead down there? If your whole compound had just been attacked and destroyed, wouldn’t you be alert and on edge?”

“I would,” Thom agreed. “But then, I’m not an egomaniacal, self-declared super-genius with near Disney villain-esque faith in my own invincibility. So… there’s that.” Thom nodded to the yacht. “There they are.”

Noah, Croft, and Finn emerged onto the vessel’s deck. With Noah keeping watch, Croft got Finn ready and the two dropped into the water. Noah followed, with Mac and John right behind him, sliding as silently and with as little splash as possible under the ocean waves. It was only a bit of bad luck that brought one of the boat’s staff out on deck just as Mac lowered himself over the railing.

“Shit!” said Thom, a bare instant before all hell broke loose.

“It’s show time.” Wheeling the chopper around for action, Avery quickly flipped the switches, making the weapons ready. “I’m going to take out both patrol boats first. Do you think you can manage the winch to get them back on board?”

“You bet.” Unbuckling, he hopped out of his seat and jumped into the back.

They worked in tandem, just like they always had in the past and yet, to Avery, it felt as if they were more in sync than ever before. If the first patrol boat heard or saw them coming, they had no chance to react. Avery fired on them and then circled around so Thom could drop the inflatable into the water close to the assault team. The second of Fariq’s patrol boats’ only warning that the assault team had aerial backup was the first boat being blasted out of the water. That warning did them little good as they bore down on the assault team’s inflatable, while the latter paddled madly back to where they knew Avery would be waiting.

“Thom, heads up!” she shouted back over her shoulder. “Fariq is launching his own inflatables and I’d bet good money they have motors. We need to get our guys out of there. I’m moving to intercept the team. I’ll try to hold off their pursuers.”

Avery watched as Thom searched through the helicopter’s supplies until he spotted a long tethering line. Leaning out the open door, he tied off one end. “Get me over them. I’ll drop down and hook up the boat; then, you haul us the hell out of here until it’s safe to load up and head for home.”

Avery nodded. “They should be right below us.”

“They are, but I don’t think we have time to get them onboard.”

At the rate the pursuing inflatables were closing the distance, she was afraid he was right. “All right; I’ll wait for your signal. Be safe!”

“You too,” Thom said as he dropped over the side.

Avery watched as Noah and Mac dragged him in over the side of their raft, and Thom quickly tied off the other end of the line.

“Rubber Ducky to Mustang Sally… commence operation tag along!”

Smiling, she turned the helicopter and flew as low and fast as she dared, dragging the inflatable with her team aboard. She knew it wouldn’t be smooth sailing on their end, more like the legendary Nantucket Sleigh Ride—the name given to what happened when the New England whalers had harpooned a whale in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. Her heart thumped just a little bit harder every time she heard the distant pop of gunshots fired both from and at her men, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted by worry. Instead she focused on getting as much speed and power out of the Sikorsky as she could.

The motors on Fariq’s boats were no match for that kind of speed, but they were stubborn. They gave chase far longer than Avery ever would have. The temptation to turn on them now while they were too far away from the yacht for any kind of backup was strong, but getting the guys back onboard the Sikorsky was her top priority. Preferably before Fariq launched his own small chopper and either flew in to join the fray or fled again.

If he ran, what were the odds they’d find him again before he could do even more damage? The man needed to be stopped. Now. While they still knew exactly where he was. Avery doubted any of them would ever be safe again as long as Fariq lived.

A small rock island to her right provided the perfect loading spot and she towed the inflatable to it. Now she just had to drop low enough for everyone to clamber on board, either cut the inflatable loose or load it, launch a rousing debate with the rest of the guys on why she thought they ought to pull an about face and finish this job once and for all…

…And that would all take so much time that Fariq would have every chance he’d need to bail.

Shit.

The solution that popped into her head was the wrong one and she knew it, but it was the best… no, not just the best, but the only one.

“Avery!” Thom shouted over the radio when she set the autopilot and jumped out of her chair, abandoning the controls long enough to sever the tow line. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“My job!” she rejoined. “I’m going to neutralize Fariq’s pursuit and send the sonofabitch to the bottom of the Med. Last time I checked, coming after this team earned retaliation in kind. It’s past time someone taught Fariq that some consequences are deadly. You know I’m right. As long as he breathes, none of us will ever be truly safe.”

Shutting off her headset, she banked steeply back toward their pursuers. The first two targets were straightforward. She had both the cover of darkness and the Sikorsky’s stealth capability to aid her, and she sank them both with a barrage of bullets designed to shred their hulls without accidentally hitting the men now bailing into the ocean. When the second boat exploded, that was when Avery noticed Fariq’s helicopter bearing down on her from the upper clouds. She was a bit surprised to see Fariq himself in the cockpit at the controls.

“Bring it, bitch,” she smirked, and flew straight at him. She hadn’t been in the helicopter version of a dog fight in years. And although the Sikorsky wasn’t as agile as the prototype she’d been flying earlier, it was far nimbler than Fariq’s and she was a hell of a better pilot than the arms dealer. If he wanted to play chicken, he’d just picked the wrong girl.

She could see the moment Fariq realized his mistake. Coming straight at him, she saw the expression change on his face right before he veered left at the last second. Rolling in behind him, Avery opened fire.

Bringing Christian in from the cold might be the firm’s wedding gift to Finn, but Avery planned to give her the gift of Fariq’s death, no more fear of retaliation, no more fear of death squads coming for them the instant they let their guards down. She could hear Thom shouting over the headphones, but she merely eyed her headset as it swung from the ceiling and checked her munitions gauge.

Fariq rolled up, a steep curve meant to get behind her.

“I see you,” she muttered, whipping left to keep him ahead of her. She opened fire, and he promptly dropped. Suddenly seeing the guys on their island beneath him, she yanked her hand from the trigger. “You son of a bitch!”

But Fariq had changed his mind and abandoned the fight, making a run for it. Boosting his engines as fast as they would go, Fariq shot for the protection of what he must have thought was a friendly government’s territorial waters and air space. Whoever remained on his yacht must have had the same idea. They were already speeding there as fast as their ship engines could push them.

“Not on my watch.” Avery chased after Fariq. If she could stop his escape before he reached safe air space, then she would be in the clear—international air space. Fariq’s people had, after all, fired on them first. Initially. At some point in the recent past. According to the report she intended to file.

Once he was down, his yacht would be easy pickings.

“I’ve got you.” Locking onto his aircraft, she fired her rockets and immediately wheeled out of the way. Even so, the heat and force of the explosion as Fariq and his smaller chopper burst into flames rocked the Sikorsky. Fariq’s craft fell like a burning stone, hitting the water not far from the fleeing yacht. “Don’t worry,” she smirked, redirecting her attention onto the much slower vessel. “I haven’t forgotten about you.”

She had one rocket left and one target, and she had no problem making sure the two of them met. She crippled the yacht and watched as the last of Fariq’s crew scrambled into lifeboats and put distance between themselves and Avery’s final target. She fired mid-ship and watched as the yacht and the last of Fariq’s organization was destroyed. Circling the wreckage, Avery made sure both the yacht and chopper were sinking to the bottom of the sea.

Knowing the team was safe and waiting, she picked up her headset. “Rubber Ducky! Mustang Sally. Meow.”

“Don’t you meow me! Get your ass back to this rock and pick us up,” growled Thom.

“Coming, Daddy!” she said teasingly.

Thom lowered his voice. “Not yet, but you will be.”

“I love you too.” She grinned, hardly able to contain her glee. She doubted if she was the only one, although—apart from Finn—it was hard to find one smiling face among the Wild Mustang men who stood waiting for her to touch down on the rock she’d stranded them on.

Finn bounced into the chopper as soon as she could clamber aboard. “Thanks for coming after me.”

“I think Mandy’s going to have to give you a new bandana,” Avery responded. Turning to the rest of the guys who were climbing in around Finn, she tried to study their faces and, in particular, Thom’s as he made his way to the copilot’s seat. He definitely wasn’t smiling, not even when she said, “Buckle up. Next stop, Cadiz. We can rent a jet and arrange for our chopper’s transport back to the United States. Y’all may as well get some rest, I’ll get you home.”

“You always do,” John said, taking his seat.

Thom remained silent.

Double-checking her gauges and setting her course while everyone got situated, she eyed him. He just opened his laptop. He seemed neutral. Painstakingly so. Well, she had left him stranded on an island. He would probably have a thing or two—or twenty; she squirmed where she sat—to say to her when they got home, but hopefully once she explained that there simply wasn’t time to do anything except the course of action she’d chosen, then he might go easy on her.

Right?

As if he’d read her mind, the look Thom shot her then said clearly, don’t count on it .

Fifteen hours later, Avery taxied down the landing strip at the headquarters of the Wild Mustang Security Firm to a round of applause and cheers from everyone else with the company. Avery was the last one off; Thom had been somewhere around the third or fourth, but at least he’d waited for her just outside at the bottom of the stairway.

Stepping onboard just before she was about to disembark, Junior said, “I told Mac I’d take the plane to the return airport. I thought I’d save you the trouble.”

“Thanks,” she said, pasting on a smile for his benefit, but it was hard to feel it when all she could think about was Daddy being mad at her. Trudging down the stairs to join him, she drew a breath to say she was sorry, but before she could, he grabbed her by the arms and hauled her into his embrace.

His mouth descended on hers with a ferocity and passion that she would have thought existed only in the movies. She clung to him, returning the kiss with equal ardor. His tongue thrust past her lips and swept through her mouth, laying claim to her in front of their friends and co-workers and provoking good-natured jeers, catcalls, and good wishes in return.

As Thom nibbled kisses down her throat, she relaxed for the first time since picking him up, and whispered in his ear, “Seven, Daddy.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that, kitten, because Daddy is as well. But he’s also pissed, on myriad levels. When we get home, before we do anything else, we’re taking care of that.”