Diana Palmer Collected 1-6: Soldier of Fortune / Tender Stranger / Enamored / Mystery Man / Rawhide and Lace / Unlikely Lover

Chapter Five

Gabby stared at him as if she’d never seen him before. J.D., a mercenary? One of those men who hired out to fight wars, who risked their lives daily?

“Are you shocked, honey?” he asked, his eyes searching, his stance challenging.

Her lips parted. “I never realized…you said you served with them, but I never realized…I thought you meant in the Special Forces.”

“I was going to let you go on thinking that, too,” he said. “But maybe it’s better to get it out into the open.”

Her eyes went over him, looking for scars, for changes. She’d noticed the tiny white lines on his stomach and chest, partially hidden by the hair, but until now it hadn’t dawned on her what they were.

“You have scars,” she began hesitantly.

“A hell of a lot of them,” he said. “Do you want to hear it all, Gabby?”

“Yes.”

He rammed his hands into his pockets and went to stare out of the window, as if it was easier to talk when he didn’t look at her. “I stayed in the service because it meant I made enough to keep Martina in a boarding school. We had no relatives, you see. Mama was gone.” He shrugged. “But when I got out of the service, I couldn’t get a job that paid enough to get Martina through school. I wasn’t trained for much except combat.” He fumbled in his pocket for a cigarette and lit it. “I thought I’d given this up until the kidnapping,” he said absently, holding the cigarette to his lips. He drew in and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Well, Shirt was recruiting, and he knew I was in trouble. He offered me a job. I took it. I spent the next four years globe-trotting with my crossbow and a gun. I made money, and I put it in foreign banks. But I got too confident and too careless, and I got shot to pieces.”

She held her breath, waiting for him to continue.

“I spent weeks in a hospital. My lungs collapsed from shrapnel and they thought I was going to die. But I lived through it. When I got out, I realized that there was only one way I could go from there, and it was straight downhill. So I told Shirt I was quitting.” He laughed mirthlessly. “But first I went on one last mission, just to prove to myself that I still had the guts. And I came out of that one without a scratch. I came back to the States afterward. I figured that someday the guys I’d served with might need a lawyer, and I needed a profession. So I got a job and went to school at night.”

“You aren’t a fugitive?” she asked.

“No. In one or two countries, perhaps, if I were recognized. But not in the States.” He turned, studying her through narrowed eyes. “That’s why I guard my past so meticulously, Gabby. And it’s why I don’t like reporters. I’m not ashamed of the old life. But I don’t like being reminded of it too often.”

“Do you miss it?” she asked, probing gently.

He sighed. “Yes. Part of me does. Life is so precious when you’ve touched death, Gabby. You become alive in a way I can’t explain to you. Life is pretty damned tame afterward.”

“This is why you came after Martina, isn’t it, Jacob?” she asked, fitting the puzzle pieces together. “Because you knew that you and the group could succeed where a larger group might fail.”

“We’re the only chance she has, honey,” he said quietly. “In Italy I might have stayed out of it. But down here…the government has its hands full trying to keep up with crime and trafficking, not to mention corruption. Besides all that, damn it, she’s my sister. She’s all I’ve got.”

That hurt. He might want Gabby, but he didn’t care about her. He’d made that perfectly clear. She lowered her eyes to the skirt of her nightgown.

“Yes, I can understand that,” she said in a subdued tone.

“I had a long talk with Laremos last night,” he said. “I told him that if he touched you, I’d kill him. You’ll be safe here.”

Her head jerked up. “I’m not afraid for myself,” she said. “Only for you and the others.”

“We’re a good team,” he said. “The way you and I have been for the past two years. Do you want to quit now, Gabby? Are you disillusioned?”

He sounded coldly sarcastic. He lifted the cigarette to his lips with a short laugh.

“Are you firing me?” she threw back, angered by the unexpected and unwarranted attack.

“No. If you leave, it’s up to you.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

He crushed out his cigarette in an ashtray. “You’d better get dressed. I want to go over those codes with you one last time before we get under way.”

“Yes, of course,” she murmured. She got up and went to find her clothes. Before she could turn around, the door opened and he’d gone out.

She got dressed and sat down on the bed and cried. To go from dream to nightmare in such a short space of time was anguish. And the worst thing was that she didn’t even know what had happened.

It didn’t matter to her that he’d been a soldier of fortune, she thought miserably. How could it, when she loved him?

Loved him. Her eyes pictured him, dark and solemn and strong, and a surge of warmth swept over her like fire. She would have followed him through that jungle on her knees without a single complaint. But despite his obvious hunger for her, he didn’t want anything emotional between them. He’d pretty well spelled that out for her. Martina was the only person on earth he loved or would love, and he’d said so. What he felt for Gabby was purely physical, something he couldn’t help. She was a virgin and she excited him. He wanted her, but that was all. And he could have had her that morning, without a protest on her part. He must have known it, too. But he hadn’t taken her, because he was strong. He didn’t want her getting involved with him, so he’d told her all about his past.

That was the final blow, that he’d shared his past with her only to put a wall between them. She hid her face in her hands and tried to hold back the tears. How was she going to manage to work with him day after day now, when he couldn’t help but see how she felt?

But that wasn’t the worst of it. He was going out into the jungle after kidnappers who could kill him. Her heart froze in her chest. She couldn’t stop him. All she could do was sit there and pray for him.

All the pleas in the world wouldn’t hold him back, not when Martina’s life hung in the balance. If there was a chance of any kind, he would take it. But if he died…oh, God, if he died, there would be nothing of worth left in Gabby’s life. Tears welled up in her soft green eyes as she tried to imagine a world without him. She wanted to go with him, to risk her life at his side, to die with him if that was what lay in store. But even as she thought it, she knew that nothing would convince him to take her along. He might not love her, but he was fiercely protective of her. He wouldn’t allow her to risk her life. And she couldn’t fight him.

With a resigned sigh, she got up, combed her hair, and went into the living room where the men were assembled. It took the last ounce of courage she possessed to smile at them. She couldn’t meet J.D.’s searching gaze at all. It would cut her to the quick to see indifference in his eyes.

There was a new face in the room. It belonged to a dark, lithe man with pale blue eyes.

“Semson,” J.D. told her, indicating the newcomer. “He’s been out scouting for the past day or so.”

“Gabby?” the new man murmured and grinned at her. “How do you stand working for this guy?”

She smiled wanly. “Oh, it has its moments,” she confessed, but she didn’t look at J.D. as she said it.

J.D. had picked up an automatic weapon something like a machine gun and slung it over his shoulder, but he was carrying the crossbow. Gabby stared pointedly at it and suddenly realized what it was for.

She looked up, and he seemed to read the thought in her mind.

He nodded. “Sentries,” he said, confirming her suspicions. “If there are any.”

She felt her throat go dry. She’d never been in a situation like this, and she could have kicked herself for coming along. It was one thing to watch an operation like this in a fictional TV show. But to realize that any one of these men, especially J.D., might never come back from the rescue attempt…that was altogether different.

“Hey, Gabby, don’t look so grim,” Apollo chided. “I won’t let this big turkey get himself hurt.”

Gabby laughed despite herself. “Thanks, Apollo,” she said. “I’ve gotten kind of used to him.”

“That works both ways. Laremos, take care of her,” J.D. told the other man.

Laremos nodded. “Be assured that I will. Now, shall we double-check our coordinates and codes?”

They did, and Gabby felt her palms sweating as she rattled off the codes from memory. She knew how important they were, and that made her more nervous than ever.

“Calm down,” J.D. said quietly. “You’re okay.”

She smiled for him. “Sure. You guys take it easy out there, okay?”

“We’re sort of used to this kind of thing,” First Shirt said with a wink. “Okay, guys. Hit it.”

And just that quickly, they left. Gabby stood at the front door with her wide, unblinking gaze riveted on J.D.’s broad back. He didn’t turn or say anything to her. It hurt terribly.

“How long will it take them to get there, Diego?” she asked the man at her side.

“At least an hour or two, Gabby,” he replied. “The terrain is rugged, and they require much stealth.”

She glanced up to see that his eyes were concerned. “Are you worried?”

“Of course not,” he said, but he was lying and she knew it. His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“I’ll get a cup of coffee, if I may, and sit beside the radio.”

He studied her closely. “Archer—you care very much for him.”

“Yes,” she said simply.

“Will you believe me if I tell you that of all the men I have known, he is the most capable under fire?” he said gently. “I have seen him come back from the grave. And their opponents have traveled far, señorita, and are already decimated in numbers. They will not expect such an attack here. We have seen to it that their intelligence is distorted.”

“But what if something goes wrong?” she burst out.

He sighed. “Then it is in the hands of God, is it not?”

She thought about that for the next three hours, pacing and sweating and worried out of her mind.

“Shouldn’t we have heard something?” she asked finally, her face contorted with fear.

Laremos frowned. “It is rugged terrain,” he reiterated.

“Yes, but…listen!”

The radio broke its silence, and Gabby made a dive for it. She gave the correct identification and waited.

“Panther to Red Rover,” J.D.’s voice said curtly. “Bravo. Tango in ten. Out.”

She keyed the mike. “Red Rover here. Alpha. Omega. Out.”

The code words meant that the group had arrived undetected and would make their play in ten minutes. She’d radioed back that the message was understood and that there was no new intelligence to convey.

She looked up at Laremos, feeling her heart go wild as she realized how close the danger was. “Ten minutes,” she said.

“The waiting is the hardest, is it not?” he asked quietly. “I will have Carisa fix us another pot of coffee.”

He strode away, and Gabby prayed and chewed her nails and stared at the radio as if it held the key to salvation.

Long, agonizing minutes later, it came to life again. “Panther to Red Rover,” J.D. said tightly, as gunfire and an explosion of some sort sounded in the background. “Charlie Tango! Heat up the coffee. Out!”

Her fingers trembled as she returned, “Red Rover to Panther. Bravo. Omega. Out!”

She’d just signed off when Laremos came tearing into the room, eyes flashing.

“Raise them quickly! One of my men just reported that he’s sighted a group of what he thinks are drug smugglers moving toward Archer’s position!”

She grabbed the radio. “Red Rover to Panther. Red Rover to Panther. Come in, Panther!”

But there was no answer. Frantically she tried again and again, and still there was no answer. Her frightened eyes went to Laremos.

“They must be under fire,” he said heavily, “or they would answer. We can only pray that they spot the newcomers in time.”

She stared at the radio, hating it. She tried it again, and again she gave the message. There was no answer.

Her mind went wild. J.D., answer me, she pleaded silently. I can’t lose you now, I can’t!

As if he heard her, somewhere miles away, the radio blared. “Red Rover, we’re cut off by another armed band—nasty-looking guys, and lots of them,” J.D. said sharply. “They’re heading into the jungle coordinates two clicks from position Delta. Gabby, get the hell out of there, they’re going in your direction…!”

The radio went dead. Gabby stared at it helplessly and then at Laremos.

“Madre de Dios,” he breathed. “I should have realized…Carisa!” he yelled. A stream of Spanish followed, and Laremos grabbed one of the weapons. He thrust it into Gabby’s numbed fingers.

“Carry it. I will teach you to use it when I must,” he said curtly. “Come, there is no time. Aquilas!” he yelled, and the short man who’d driven in from the airport with them came running in. There was another stream of Spanish.

“My men will cover us,” Laremos said curtly. “We must hurry. The smugglers will not care who are terrorists and who are not, they will cut us down regardless. Aquilas says there are government troops not too far behind. But we cannot involve them.” His wary eyes sought hers. “You understand?”

“Because of the rescue,” she said, smiling wanly. “It’s all right, señor. Just, please, get me to J.D.”

He looked at her searchingly. “I understand. But do not underestimate the group, señorita. We were once…quite something.”

He led her out of the house, and together they headed quickly into the jungle. She carried the heavy weapon with no real sense of its weight and no earthly idea of how to use it. As she followed Laremos through dense undergrowth at a breakneck pace, she wondered what her mother back home in Lytle, Texas, would think if she knew where her only daughter was.

“Quick, get down,” Laremos hissed, pushing her under the dense foliage and cautioning her to be quiet.

She froze, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She felt weak all over. What would happen if they were seen? She couldn’t fire the weapon, she didn’t know how! Her eyes felt as if they were going to pop out of her head, and she wished she were with J.D. Laremos would do his best, but if she had to die, she wanted to be with Jacob when it happened. Her eyes closed and she prayed silently while sweat poured down her cheeks.

There was a wild thrashing nearby, and she had a glimpse of ragged-looking men with rifles. She knew without being told that they were the drug smugglers Laremos had spoken about. They were muttering among themselves, but they didn’t seem to be looking for anyone. They were joking and laughing, their weapons hung over their shoulders as they trailed through the jungle.

Gabby bit almost through her lower lip as she studied the weapons they were carrying. She could feel terror in her throat, strangling her. What if they were spotted? There were worse things than being killed, especially for a woman. Her eyes closed. The bravery she’d thought she had was nowhere to be found.

It seemed to take forever for the men to march out of sight and finally out of earshot.

“Courage,” Laremos whispered. “We will wait just another minute and then proceed.”

“We can’t go back to your finca?” she whispered back, hating her own cowardice.

He shook his head. “This is only a small part of the main force. Unless I am badly mistaken, the rest are camped at my finca.” He shrugged. “The government troops will come and drive them out. But for the meantime, we have little choice. We either try to join our comrades or risk being killed.”

“I’m much too young to die,” she told him with a quiet smile. “How do I shoot this thing if I have to?”

He showed her, quickly and efficiently, and she felt a little more secure as they started out again. But her eyes darted every which way, and she was so afraid that she could taste the fear in her mouth. Death seemed to lurk behind every tree.

She was learning something about courage. It wasn’t being unafraid. It was being stubborn.

It was slow going. They had been walking for over an hour when suddenly gunfire erupted all around them.

“Oh, my God,” Gabby squealed, dropping down with her hands over her head, the rifle falling to the ground.

“Don’t panic,” Laremos said tautly as he came down beside her. “Listen.”

She heard bullets whizzing, but Laremos was grinning!

“What…?” she tried to ask, gathering enough courage to grab her weapon and hold on to it with cold fingers.

“The Uzi,” he whispered. “I know the sound, oh, so well, señorita,” he said with a grin. He moved behind a tree and peered out into the jungle. All at once, he stood up. “Archer!” he yelled. “Here!”

Then there was a flurry of wild movement, crashing sounds, gunfire, and explosions, and in the middle of it came J.D., with a small, dark-haired woman under one arm and the Uzi under the other. Around him, Shirt and Apollo and Semson and Drago were covering each other and firing on the run as they joined Laremos and Gabby.

“Martina, Gabby,” J.D. said as he piled in with them and let go of his sister. “Okay, honey?” he asked Gabby with a quick glance.

“Fine, now,” she whispered shakily, clutching the weapon.

“They’re right on our tails,” J.D. said. “Apollo, got any of that C-4 left?” he yelled.

“Working on it right now, big man,” came the reply. “Just enough to make a big splash. We’ll have to draw them in.”

“Tell me when,” J.D. called back.

“That group of men you ran into were probably drug smugglers. They’ve taken my finca,” Laremos said. “We barely escaped in time.”

“I’m sorry about that,” J.D. said as he reloaded the small automatic weapon.

“Are you both all right?” Gabby asked J.D. in a quavering voice as she crawled over to Martina and clutched the frightened woman’s hand.

“A few scratches, but we’ll make it,” he returned, but his eyes were fierce and tormented as they searched Gabby’s face. “How about you?”

“I’m learning to be a crack shot,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “Laremos even told me how to cock this thing.”

“If you have to fire it,” J.D. said intently, “be sure you brace it hard against your shoulder so that the recoil doesn’t break a bone. Take a breath, let half of it out, and squeeze the trigger, don’t jerk it.”

“I’ll be a natural,” Gabby told him, but she was trembling.

“I wish I could help,” Martina whispered shakily. “But I’m so tired…!”

“God knows you’ve reason to be,” J.D. said. He ruffled her hair. “But you’re a trouper, sis.”