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  “Have they contacted you for more equipment?”

  The man pauses, clearly thinking.

  “Think carefully,” the spook says softly. “My partner and I may have to step outside,” he says, leaving the threat hang in the air.

  “Yes!” the man responds suddenly, wanting to have nothing to do with Ryker. “But I don’t have what they need in stock! Just like the last time, I had to order it!”

  “When is it scheduled to arrive?”

  “Next week! Wednesday of next week!”

  “You’ll call us first, before you let them know it’s here?”

  “Yes! Of course!”

  “How about you, big guy? You good with that?”

  Ryker grins nastily. It’s kind of fun to play the heavy. “I don’t know. Think we can trust him?”

  The agent looks the man over. “He looks intelligent enough. I don’t think he wants to make you mad, do you?”

  “No. I hope he doesn’t. I’m not this nice when I’m mad,” Ryker sneers.

  “Okay, Mahmud,” the agent says, tucking 500,000 Lebanese Pounds—about $250—into the man’s shirt pocket, “you seem like someone that’s smart enough to know when to do the right thing. Don’t disappoint us.”

  The three keep up the charade until they are away in the SUV before they begin to laugh. “If you ever get tired of the Navy, Evans, you should come back and work for us. Mahmud was about to piss his pants!”

  “You think he will actually call us?” Ryker asks with a grin.

  “Oh yeah. He wants nothing to do with the crazy American,” the second agent, the one that was holding Ryker at bay, says.

  “So what happens when he calls?”

  “I think we will let him deliver the equipment. We’ll put a tracker in the equipment and let it lead us right to them. Then you can do your thing.”

  Ryker looks at the two men skeptically. “Don’t you think they will scan the equipment for bugs? That’s what I would do.”

  The two men look at each other and smile. “Let’em scan. We’ve got good bugs. We use a pellet of Gadolinium-153 about the size of a grain of rice. It emits gamma radiation that we can track to about two miles. It has a half-life of about eight months or so, then after that it is completely inert and is no longer an emitter. Unless you know what you are looking for, it looks like background radiation. If they find that, I’ll eat your shorts.”

  Ryker has never heard of such a thing, but the two seem confident. Pen guns, micro cameras, and radioactive grains of rice. The spooks get all the cool toys.

  ***

  “Petty Officer Evans, stay a moment,” Colonel Hargraves says as the debrief ends. Ryker returns to his seat as the two CIA agents leave.

  “Yes Colonel?”

  “I’ll come right to the point. You’re fucking Dr. Baker. That needs to stop.”

  Ryker feels himself stiffen. They had kept a low profile but he’s not surprised that people know. “Is that an order, sir?” Ryker asks formally.

  Hargraves purses his lips at Ryker’s hard ass attitude. He knew this was going to be touchy. “Evans, son, you’re smarter than this.”

  Ryker relaxes just a bit. “Colonel, she’s not the mission.”

  “No… she’s the daughter of the mission.”

  “I don’t see the relevance.”

  “The relevance, Evans, is that you need to be focused and not let your personal feelings get in the way of you doing your job.”

  “Sir. I do not believe my relationship with Dr. Baker has compromised the mission.”

  “And if you are ordered to kill Dr. Baker if you can’t extract him? Are you prepared to do that?”

  That gives Ryker pause. Is he? Can he do that to Ronnie? Ryker sets his jaw. “Is that my orders sir? To kill Dr. Baker if I am unable to extract him?”

  “No. Not yet. But that option is on the table. Are you prepared to do it?”

  “Yes sir,” Ryker says without emotion. “I am not compromised on this mission.”

  Hargraves looks at Ryker, trying to read him. “Very well. See that it stays that way. Dismissed.”

  “Ryker, what’s wrong?” Ronnie asks. He hasn’t seemed himself this evening and is just picking at his food, not eating with his normal gusto.

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s bull. Something is wrong. Talk to me.”

  He stares at his plate. “It has been suggested that I stop seeing you. That you’re a distraction.”

  She feels her blood run cold. “Are you?”

  “No. Not yet. But I may have to. For a while anyway.”

  “Can they make you do that?”

  “Yes. If they order me to stop seeing you, I won’t have any choice. At least until the mission to extract your father is over.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ronnie whispers harshly, leaning across the table. “What does you seeing me have to do with anything?”

  Ryker can’t answer that… he can’t tell her that he may have to kill her father in cold blood. “There is concern that I’m compromised.”

  “Compromised? What the hell does that mean?”

  “That I will let my feelings for you interfere with the mission.”

  She sits back, thinking. “Are you compromised?”

  “Yes,” Ryker says softly.

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem. I still think I can do the job. But what if I can’t? I can sit here and say that I will do what’s necessary to extract your father, but will I?”

  Something about his comments aren’t ringing true, like there is something he is not telling her. She reaches across the table, waiting until he takes her hands. “You will do the right thing. I know you will. If the right thing is for us to cool it for a while then we will. I won’t like it, but I can wait.”

  He squeezes her hands gently. “No. I will find your father and get him out safely. In less than a week this will all be over.”

  She looks into Ryker’s face. There is something there, a flicker of sadness in his eyes. Something he is not telling her. “I believe you,” she finally says, returning his squeeze.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ryker is subdued the entire rest of the evening. He is pleasant enough, speaking when spoken to, but he acts like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ronnie notices the change and tries to draw him out, but the heavy mood remains throughout the evening.

  “Will you stay with me tonight? You don’t have to,” she adds as he escorts her to her room. She had assumed he will, but he is acting so unlike himself she is no longer sure.

  “I would like to stay,” he says quietly.

  When she swipes her card and enters room, Ryker doesn’t follow. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  “I need to go get some clothes for tomorrow.”

  Ronnie smiles. “Don’t take too long. Let yourself in when you get back,” she says, pushing her door card into his hand.

  “I won’t,” Ryker says, kissing her quickly on the lips before turning away.

  Ronnie smiles as she shuts the door, Petty Officer Evans is going to be in for a surprise when he gets back.

  As Ryker walks back to his room and gathers his kit, taking the time to shave and brush his teeth, he wonders if maybe he should break it off with Ronnie. Do it now, clean and neat, before he gets in too deep. He told Colonel Hargraves he could kill Ronnie’s father if ordered to do so, but he’s not so sure he can.

  Can he really kill a man whose only crime is trying to help the world and is the father of the woman he cares for? She would never forgive him for that, and he can’t expect her to. If it comes to it, will he be able to look the father of the woman he is falling in love with in the eyes and pull the trigger, ending his life? He looks into his mirror, staring at his own face, and sees the doubt etched there. Oh yes, he is very compromised.

  It takes so long for Ryker to get back Ronnie is beginning to wonder if he changed his mind. When she hears the click of the lock being rel
eased she settles into her pose, smiling her best come hither smile.

  Ryker opens the door and steps inside. The lights are out but there is enough glow from the city lights through the window to make out Ronnie’s form on the bed. She is lying nude in a pose guaranteed to make any man stiffen.

  “I was starting to get lonely,” she purrs, slowly dragging a finger down the inside curve of one breast. She has never done anything like this before and she feels wicked, and naughty, and it thrills her in a way she has never felt before. As Ryker drops his kit into a nearby chair, she languorously rises from the bed and sways her way to him. “Now,” she says as she begins to unbutton his shirt, “let’s see if we can do something about this bad mood.”

  As she steps in close, her fingers nimbly working the buttons on his shirt, he breathes deep, taking in her scent of strawberries. It’s probably just her shampoo, but he will now forever equate the smell of strawberries with her.

  The moment Ryker’s shirt falls from him, she moves to his pants. The time she spent waiting on his return has given her plenty of time to think of all the pleasures he has given her, the pleasures he is yet to give her, and she is already primed and ready. This is their earliest start to date, not even ten o’clock, and she is looking forward to at least a couple hours of Ryker’s touches and kisses.

  Ryker steps out of his pants as she moves backward, pulling him by the hand to the bed as a seductive smile plays across her lips. As she settles into the bed, he sits and quickly removes his socks, leaving him nude. He turns to her and he can’t help but smile.

  She is puzzled by Ryker this evening. He is obviously ready, as demonstrated by his impressive hardness, but he seems almost passive compared to the take charge lover he has been. Something is definitely bothering him… but she will soon make him forget all about it.

  He must feel her closeness so he settles over her, kissing her, holding her tight as he covers her lips and neck in slow gentle kisses.

  Ronnie sighs. Before tonight Ryker has been a forceful lover, driving her headlong into pleasures she never dreamed possible. But tonight he is so incredibly gentle, even loving, clinging to her as if she is a lifeline.

  This is a new side to Ryker. Passionate and forceful when she wants it, incredibly caring and gentle when she doesn’t, he is able to please her in so many ways. She smiles, holding him to her, enjoying what she feels for him.

  He clings to her, soaking up the feelings of closeness. He will never hurt her. Never! He will find a way. No matter what, he will find a way to get her father back to her. He pulls back and gently inserts himself into her, causing her to gasp at his entering and tighten her embrace. He holds her tight, not moving as he silently promises her that he will extract a swift and terrible vengeance on any that try to harm her or those she cares about.

  Ryker enters her then is still, the feeling of him inside her delicious in the extreme. Ronnie waits, not moving, holding his head to her shoulder, offering her silent comfort and support as he struggles with whatever is affecting him. As he begins to move in slow, easy, thrusts, she pulls him tighter still, his embrace clamping down even more in response.

  He draws silent support from Ronnie’s presence and touch. The physical pleasure is there, but more important to him tonight is the emotional. He kisses her neck, her lips, her ears, trying to come to grips with the turmoil inside of him. He wants to cry, and shout and laugh as his sentiments war within him. Fear and joy, euphoria and dread, all are there in equal measure as he holds her, truly making love to a woman for the first time.

  Ronnie gasps slightly as a wave of intense pleasure ripples through her. Her orgasm is approaching, the many minutes of his slow, easy, thrusting taking their toll.

  Ryker feels her begin to tighten up with her approaching orgasm, her quiet sighs and soft moans setting his nerves on edge. The depth of the feeling he has for her saps his control and as he begins to thrust harder, he feels himself slipping over the edge into orgasm.

  She hears him grunt softly, the sexy gasp that tells her he is coming. The knowledge that he is peaking with pleasure is enough to push her over the edge into her own orgasm, the fact they have reached that point as the very same moment thrilling her deeply.

  He stops thrusting, allowing his orgasm to flow out of him. He knows he hasn’t done right by her tonight by allowing his own orgasm to take him before he could fully please her. He lies still, trying to pretend he doesn’t know what is wrong with him, but he does. He is falling for her, and he knows he may have to make a choice… a choice between duty and the woman he loves.

  Ronnie comes back to herself, issuing that silly little giggle she knows she has after a satisfying orgasm, drawing his lips to her own. He is definitely more loving tonight than he has shown in the past, and even though he didn’t give her one of those mind bending orgasms like he has the last couple of times, she is still deeply content.

  Ryker accepts her kiss, their tongues gently probing and touching. They slowly kiss for many long minutes, neither wanting to break the moment. Finally he pulls his lips gently away, and tucks in tight, supporting his weight as he lies lightly on her, holding her, and is held by her in return.

  “Are you okay?” she asks as he buries his face in her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin.

  “Yes,” he whispers. “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason. You just seem… subdued… this evening.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s all right. It was great. But, I just want to make sure you are okay,” Ronnie says, then pauses. “You’re not having second thoughts about us, or getting tired of me already are you?” she asks in a teasing voice.

  Ryker can feel himself smile as he rises up so he can look into her face. “No and no. I don’t know what is wrong with me this evening,” he lies.

  “There is nothing wrong…” she assures him. “It was great. I loved how sweet and gentle you were. That’s a side of you I haven’t seen before. But… I can’t help but feel that there is something bothering you. I haven’t done anything to upset you, have I?”

  “No,” he says, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss on the lips to punctuate his denial. “You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just the mission. I’m worried about finding your dad.”

  Ronnie smiles softly at him, her hand brushing his cheek. “You said yourself that it would take a couple of days before something would turn up. Stop punishing yourself. You’re doing all that you can. I know you will find him. I feel it.”

  Ryker rolls off of her onto his back and pulls her to him, tucking her tight to his side. “We actually got a great lead today. Baltasar’s information checked out and we found the supplier for their equipment. The spooks put the screws to him and he is going to call us when the equipment arrives. They, the CIA, have some super-bug they are going to put in the equipment and then track it right to their lab. We’re going to go in and, hopefully, find your father.”

  “That’s great news!” Ronnie exclaims, before kissing him on the lips. “So why are you down in the dumps then? You should be feeling fantastic. You can go in, do your Rambo thing, rescue my dad, and then we can get the hell out of here. I want to take you somewhere more—private—so I can thank you properly,” she says mischievously, before kissing him on the lips again.

  The kiss starts out playful but quickly turns more intimate. Ronnie is surprised that in the less than thirty minutes since they were physical, she can want him again so badly. And the feeling must be mutual since Ryker is firming up nicely.

  Ryker loses himself in the kiss, pulling her tighter to him as she mounts him, lying on his chest as they kiss. He can feel himself hardening as she begins to pump her hips in a slow, easy, rhythm, his desire for her flaring to life. He grabs her by hair and pulls her head back as he attacks her neck with lips and tongue.

  She gasps as he pulls her hair. It doesn’t hurt, but his savage need as he kisses her hard on the neck inflames her even more. She places a hand behind his head,
holding his lips to her neck as he rolls with her. Looks like they are going full circle tonight… from slow and gentle to fast and hard. And that’s fine with her.

  Ryker feels out of control. Never has he wanted, needed a woman like he wants Ronnie now. If Hargraves orders him to stop seeing her, if he is going to lose her, then he wants to experience every moment with her as if it is his last. He breaks the kiss and begins to slide down, to try to drive her mad with pleasure, but Ronnie checks the movement, pulling him back up by his arms.

  Ronnie feels him start to move lower and she going to have none of that. Not tonight. She needs him… needs to feel him inside her. “No. Not tonight. I want you inside of me. I want you to take me hard, like you did last night,” she says, staring into his eyes. He begins to move again, but when she tries to hold him, he bats her hands away, rolls off of her, then flips her to her stomach as if she weighs nothing at all.