Page 38 of Turn the Tide
Chapter 6
Eric couldn’t remember a sexier encounter. Ever.
And now, after convincing a boneless Zoe that she didn’t need to reciprocate, he took unexpected pleasure in keeping watch while she slept—soaking up the feel of her heart beating steadily against his chest.
Above him, the sky was wide open—not quite the never-ending dome he’d encountered in the most remote parts of Afghanistan, but pretty. He followed the trail of an aircraft—make that a satellite—as it slid between the stars and, for possibly the first time in his life, didn’t wonder where he could be happier.
Weird.
His eyes swept over the placid water.
For two years now, ever since he accepted the ridiculous severance package and became a lazy ass for a living, he’d had this antsiness in his veins. Like something had to happen or he’d slide boneless into the water one day—and nobody would notice.
Zoe made a little noise against him and dug deeper, like a cat. He hugged his arm tighter around her and sucked in a big, satisfied breath. So maybe there was something to this relationship thing after all.
He glanced at her. Would she want one? Like a serious one? Now that the idea had occurred to him, he wished she was awake so he could ask her. Although that probably wasn’t how people did it, was it? Did they pussyfoot around, throwing hints and stuff? Hell no. Not his style. He’d rather—
He tensed.
Had something moved? His conscious mind had no idea, but part of him—the part that knew these things—was convinced that danger was close.
Without hesitation, he bent and whispered into Zoe’s ear. “Zoe. Wake up, honey.”
Her eyes opened and she smiled, which brought an instant ache to his chest. He had to force himself to push that warmth away to examine later. “Somebody’s here. You need to get up, real slow and quiet.”
She nodded, eyes huge, and complied, totally soundless.
He gave her the knife he’d taken off the guy on the rig, snagged his own bowie knife and his handgun. Slowly, silently, he reached for a handhold and foothold on the rock they’d sat against and pulled himself up. From here, he had a view of the entire island. They’d been out here for so many hours without lights that it didn’t take him long to see them. At least two dark figures, blocking out pieces of the landscape as they moved, still a few hundred yards below. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were in full dive gear, with night-vision goggles.Shit.
He glanced at Zoe. She’d have to stay here. No way he’d risk taking her to meet an assault team.
“I’m going with you.” She made the decision for him.
He glanced down at the one…two…three attackers and watched them closely for a few seconds.
Was he crazy to think that he knew those silhouettes? One tall, one stocky enough to necessitate a custom-made wet suit, and the third… That was a woman. Had to be. He swallowed back a surge of hope. It would serve them no purpose to ignore the potential threat here—not until he wassure.
After a beat, he nodded. “Keep your eyes on me. Follow in my footsteps. Quiet’s better than fast. Okay?”
“Got it.”
He led them out, glad he’d always chosen dark thermals instead of light.
As they made their silent way over the craggy, rough terrain, keeping low and sticking to the boulders, Eric kept his eyes on the figures—orintruders, as he thought of them. Onhisisland.
Good thing they hadn’t shown up an hour before, ’cause he’d been way too consumed with Zoe to notice an arrival. Probably wouldn’t have seen a helo fly in, much less a quiet group like this.
He tilted his head and listened. They were close now, but he couldn’t hear a damned thing. No way those goons from the rig had the skills to be this stealthy.
Hope surged.
“Coop!” When the whisper reached him from over the rocks, every muscle in his body loosened. With an audible exhale, he let his neck relax, took in the huge night sky, and said a quiet thanks to whatever power had brought his friends here.
“Who’s there?” he asked, though he knew the answer already.
“Leo, Von, Ans.”
They’d come. His people. Something tightened in his chest.
