Mercy and Mayhem: Men of Mercy, page 14
But he still looked sexy as hell.
Marley glanced down at her own worn and ripped clothing. She looked like she’d been rode hard and put up soaking wet. Shit.
She got to her feet and crossed to the water’s edge, kneeling to splash some water on her face, attempting to scrub the dried blood and dirt away. She sat there for a moment, allowing the wrinkles in the water to smooth out so she could see her reflection. She’d never been really worried about makeup or hair too much—she’d been too busy being a mom and a pilot for that kind of frivolity.
However, with Mack standing so close, she suddenly started worrying about her knotted hair and swollen cheek. If they were stopping for another night she didn’t intend to waste it alone, but she wanted to at least make some attempt to freshen her face and hair before attempting to seduce Mack. What she wouldn’t give for a bottle of shampoo.
“I wouldn’t get too close to the water, wouldn’t want to wind up being somebody’s dinner, you know?” Mack said.
Marley jumped to her feet, searching for a crocodile or a giant python, only to see smooth unbroken water. “Dammit, Mack, the way you said that I was expecting to come face-to-face with a crocodile.”
He chuckled and tugged her close, sneaking an arm around her waist. Her skin immediately went hypersensitive and she slapped his chest, trying to push him away and pat down her wild hair at the same time.
He didn’t give her a chance, he buried his face in the hollow of her neck and inhaled deeply as if savoring the way she smelled – which couldn’t be good after the last twenty-four hours. “I don’t intend to let anyone eat you but me.”
Heat instantly flooded her thighs and her resistance melted. This man made her lose her senses. If he were planning a repeat performance of last night, she’d be happy being dessert. “Aren’t you tired?”
Mack leaned back and arched a brow. “Do I look like I’m tired?”
She followed his gaze down to the more than obvious tenting in his pants. She felt her eyes grow wide. “Really?”
Mack pressed himself against her, growling deep in his throat. “Don’t worry, I’m not a monster. I intend to feed you first.”
He nipped at her neck and then her earlobe, drawing a sharp gasped response. “Thank God, I thought you were withholding food for sex.”
“Oh no, honey, I’ll get you some supper, but I intend to have you for dessert.”
Her heart thundered in her ears as she stood there and reveled in the way his lips felt on her skin. Mack clearly wasn’t worried about how she looked, so she wouldn’t be either. She intended to savor him all night. Unfortunately, her stomach had other plans. It let out a loud growl and Mack chuckled again. “Definitely food first. Why don’t you stay here and rest? I’ll scout around nearby and see if I can’t scavenge up some grub.”
“Sounds wonderful, but I’ll come with you. I can help.” She tilted her head to the side as he gave her neck another nip, leaving an open invitation for him to continue.
“Rest now.” Mack pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “Here’s some water purification tablets. Rehydrate and relax. I don’t plan on letting you sleep much tonight.” He disappeared into the trees. As soon as he was out of sight, his presence became undetectable. He walked so silently, like he was used to sneaking up on people. She shuddered at the realization that stealth was exactly why he’d learned to move like that.
With a sigh, Marley went back to her root and sat down. She jabbed the tip of the knife into the wood next to her and allowed herself a moment of pure self-pity. She tried to keep up a brave front, but her feet were on fire. As gently as she could, she unlaced her boots and pulled them off, revealing her wet socks beneath. Almost scared of what she might find, she peeled the material back. Bright red blisters greeted her, along with toes and heels pruned up from being wet all day. The rest of her was nearly as waterlogged. She needed to dry off.
Marley eyed the water’s edge. If she kept an eye out for predators, she might be able to get a quick semi-bath to get some of the sweat and grime off her body before Mack returned. Still sitting, Marley unzipped the top part of her flight suit and shrugged it off, letting the material fall and bunch around her waist. She inspected the bandage, seeing dirt but no blood. Better to leave it in place, especially since it was the only thing protecting the wound on her arm from the elements. Besides, the cut didn’t even hurt anymore.
She thought about untying her ripped shirt, taking it off, and using it as a washcloth. She could always put the flight suit back on to cover herself, but the air was too humid. The shirt would never dry again before morning. Four angry red lines marked her chest where her attacker had ripped her shirt, mauling her skin in the process. Chills covered her body and the shadows around her seemed to stretch from the trees, reaching for her. Marley wrapped her arms around herself, wishing Mack would hurry up and return.
His presence was a buffer not only from the dangers lurking around, but also the bad memories lurking inside.
He’d steadfastly protected her and poked and prodded. And yet he sensed when she needed gentleness, too. Instead of trying to act all brave and manly, he looked at her like she was the only woman in the world, like he would die to protect her. He was the ultimate warrior. Brave and battle-hardened, scarred by his past … and yet, whether he was willing to admit it or not, he was just as lonely as she was. For the first time since the plane crash, Marley felt a small tinge of gratitude to her copilot. If he hadn’t betrayed her, she wouldn’t have gotten to know Mack. She might not have realized everything that was missing from her life.
And this might be their last night alone together.
Something vibrated against her calf. Marley grabbed her knife and braced her arm in the air, prepared to strike whatever creature had decided to crawl on her leg, but there was nothing there. Another buzz, and she let go of the knife, which clattered to the ground. She fumbled with the Velcro on the cargo pocket near her calf, jerking it open in a clumsy move with numb fingers, and yanked out her cell phone. Oh my God, it worked.
It was a text message. She quickly opened it and a colorful photo splashed across the screen. It was a picture of Maddie with her mother playing in the backyard of her parents’ house. Maddie was her life. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and Marley gently touched the screen with her fingers.
Her phone buzzed again and a message popped up from Ramsey, her treacherous copilot. Deliver the men to me by tomorrow at sunset or I’ll kill her.
A set of coordinates flashed on the screen.
Marley’s entire body went down. He’d kill her? Was he there with Maddie now? Or had he sent someone else after her—the person who’d taken the picture. Oh, my God. Her body thundered to life, her tears drying instantly. Maddie.
Ramsey, the fucking bastard. She wanted to rip his throat out; she wanted to take her knife and stab it into his chest. But she was stuck in a jungle with no way to warn anybody.
Her phone worked—oh, my God.
Marley nearly dropped it, as she struggled to get a phone call out. She held the phone up high in the air, shooting to her feet instantly, walking to the edge of the water, searching for any ray of a signal. Nothing. Not even one bar. She swiftly scanned the message again—she found nothing new, just that one sickening sentence. A sentence that had the power to end her daughter’s life.
How was he sending her messages? Carefully this time she studied the sat phone. It had seemed like perfect timing back on base when he’d shown up with this brand-new phone after hers had been crushed. She’d been so grateful and he’d been planning to kill her all along.
She dropped it like a hot coal and gulped. The sat phone had never been intended for phone calls – it was a tracking device.
Ramsey had somehow discovered that his attempted plane crash and bomb hadn’t worked—and this man, Jack Mankel, was clearly the one pulling the strings. Ramsey wasn’t stupid, but he wasn’t that smart either. And she knew he didn’t have the connections, or motivation, to pull off a stunt like this unless someone very rich and very bad had lined his pockets.
Unable to help herself, she picked up the phone and swept her thumb across the screen to bring up the picture of her daughter once more, expanding it to fill the screen. A man with the resources to buy off Ramsey and plant a bomb in the C-130 would have no trouble taking out a helpless, unsuspecting little girl. She didn’t doubt he could carry out his threat. But in order to save her daughter’s life, she’d have to betray Mack …
“Hey, beautiful.” Mack’s deep voice, right next to her ear, startled her so much she nearly dropped the phone again.
“Mack,” Marley said breathlessly. She practically felt his gaze boring into her phone. Had he seen the text?
“That Maddie? She’s precious.”
Marley sucked in a breath, trying to keep from passing out as her heart thundered out of control. What to do? She didn’t need to tell him what she knew. Not yet. First she needed time to think.
“I’m, yeah, I just wanted to see her face.”
Mack placed a tender kiss on her cheek and Marley rocketed to her feet, quickly powering off the cell phone and shoving it into her pocket. He’d nearly seen the text. Maddie was in danger. Mankel’s minions would kill her if Marley didn’t do as they asked. The thought of anything happening to her daughter sent shockwaves of panic through her so fierce that it nearly brought her to her knees. She squeezed her hands into tight fists in a futile attempt to keep the pain inside.
In order to save her daughter, she would have to sacrifice Mack and his team. And herself.
It occurred to her again that Ramsey had asked her about her life insurance …
He wasn’t planning on letting her make it out of this jungle alive. Betraying the team would ensure both their deaths and hers.
*
Something about Marley had changed. He’d left her with laughter and a smile in anticipation of another night of amazing lovemaking. Channeling his inner Tarzan, he’d raced off into the jungle, eager to bring back sustenance for a woman.
He had trapped a small animal, skinned it, and brought it back, unsure if she was okay with seeing the fresh blood or not.
He’d expected her to look at him with delight when he returned with food. Her stomach had been growling all day. But she kept her face averted and her head down, her shoulders slumped but tense. What the hell had happened in his short absence from their makeshift camp? Had she had too much time to think about last night and suddenly regretted it?
Or was it as simple as seeing the picture of her daughter on her phone? When Cooper was that age, Barbara used to send him batches of pictures when he was on deployment. His chest had ached each time he looked at them. He had missed his son as much as he’d missed his wife.
Then it hit him, of course it was Maddie. Marley had raised her child as a young widow on her own. They probably didn’t spend too much time apart. And Mack was standing here letting his own insecurities cloud his judgment.
He draped the animal carcass over the root opposite the one Marley had just vacated and went to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding on when she tried to protest and push him away. He cradled her head against his chest and smoothed down her soft hair. “I know how much you miss Maddie. I swear to God I’ll get you back to her safe and sound, even if it means my life.”
Marley jerked in his arms, her chest expanding with a soft sob. She tensed as if to pull away again, but he anchored her to him. He would be strong enough for them both right now. “You probably guessed as much from what I told you last night, but I had to be away from Cooper all the time, too. It never got any easier, but I learned to deal with it. All you can do is look forward to the moment you walk in through that front door and she runs to you and throws her little arms around your neck. That little girl loves you more than anything else in the world. I don’t have to meet her to know it. Focus on that, and you’ll be able to make it through anything to get back to her.”
Marley’s entire body shuddered with emotion. She mumbled against his chest, “I miss her so much.”
Mack rested his chin on top of her head and gazed out across the river, seeing Cooper’s face instead of the trees. “At least she still looks forward to your return. Everything will be okay between you and Maddie. She probably doesn’t even realize you’re in this mess.”
Marley pushed away from him, and he wasn’t surprised to see her tear-stained face. “I wish I could talk to your son, tell him what a fine man you are.”
There was a fierce glow in her gaze and Mack caught his breath. “My little tigress.”
Marley tilted her face into his palm. “Sorry, Mack. I’m so sorry.”
Another giant crack in his heart. She cared about them enough to worry about his destroyed relationship with his son. Even missing her daughter as much as she did right now, she was still concerned about him. Mack felt something break free inside him, something warm that enveloped his entire being. “You make me want to try, Marley Mitchell. You make me want to fight for him.”
Her eyes closed and the fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. “I wish I could fix it. I wish I could fix everything.”
He brushed her tears away, shuddering right along with her. The feelings that wrapped around them, cloaking them, were so intense, so strong. He hadn’t felt this way about anyone since he and Barb had first gotten together—and those memories were hazy. He had loved his wife, but he didn’t remember feeling this primal need to protect and cherish her. He wanted to slay Marley’s dragon and appear before her triumphant. He wanted to do anything to ease the pain on her beautiful face.
“Maybe you could go see Cooper with me after we get back home. Just knowing you’re there would give me strength.”
Mack’s insides froze with uncertainty. No one had said a word about after the Congo, at least not explicitly. He couldn’t yet describe what he wanted in words, but he knew without a doubt he wanted Marley in his life. The connection between them went far deeper than a quick screw after a near-death experience. He wanted her now and he wanted her to be with him later.
Just being around her comforted him and gave him strength and a renewed energy. He could conquer anything when Marley was here. His entire being buzzed with energy as he waited for her to answer. Please let her want the same.
She gazed up at him with such rawness. “I would love that.”
Mack yanked her to him, squeezing her with relief and fierce joy. Damn, he was going to spend the entire night savoring her sweet body.
“Mack, you’re smothering me,” she said in a muffled voice.
Immediately he relaxed, allowing her to lean back but not to step away. “Sorry.”
Marley gazed up at him, her lips slightly parted and turned down, her brown eyes searching his. “You would do anything for your son, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. I’d kill for him.”
“Would you die for him? Even if he would never find out what had happened to you?”
“I would, but neither one of us will have to do that, because we’re getting the hell out of this place as soon as we find my team.”
Mack’s stomach rumbled this time and he chuckled before placing a fierce kiss on her lips. “Now enough of all the sad talk, I’ve got two surprises for you.”
Marley gathered herself up and moved her hands down her thighs. “Oh, wow, two surprises?”
Mack strutted over to the dead animal. Using the knife jutting up out of the root to spear it, he held it up for Marley to see. “May I present your supper, my queen?” He bowed his head low.
Marley giggled and clapped and he freaking loved the sound of her laughter. He loved knowing he was the one who’d made her smile when she had been so sad just seconds before. “I don’t make a habit out of eating recently killed animals, but that looks better than any pizza I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
Riding on the high of her smile, Mack reached down into his pocket and pulled out another water purification tablet and a flint. “And I’ve got the key for fresh water. The chemicals make it taste like shit, but right now I don’t think either one of us will care.”
“You really are the perfect man.” Marley said with a teasing lilt to her voice.
Mack stood proud and tall, holding the fresh water supplies in one hand and the carcass in the other. “Anything for you, babe.”
Mack swore he caught the briefest look of pain in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant, her smile back in place. Hunger and dehydration must be getting to him.
“I’ll find something we can use to make bowls for the water,” she said.
Mack shook his head. “All right, but don’t wander very far away. I saw some pretty big tracks out there. I want to make you supper, not be supper.”
20
They ate supper in silence. Mack made a big enough fire to quickly cook the meat and then doused the smoke and flames to hide their location. He hadn’t wanted to risk a fire, but he also hadn’t wanted to feed Marley raw meat. After eating, they savored more of the water, dousing their tongues and throats.
“I’ve never eaten mongoose before,” Mack said, “but you’re right, it now ranks above squirrel on my list of favorite foods.”
Marley grimaced. “I would have enjoyed it much more if I could have hypnotized myself into believing it was a fat juicy steak.”
It had almost tasted like one after over twenty-four hours without food. Mack had done that before, but it was never pleasant, and every growl of Marley’s stomach had hit him with a punch of guilt.
They settled next to the roots at the base of one of the trees, the heat of the night air making a fire unnecessary for warmth. Mack watched Marley take a sip of water from his small canteen. And then she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree trunk, her knees bent, bathed in an almost ethereal glow by the moonlight reflecting off the river. It was the only light they had to see by. “This water is heaven.”
