call whoever does.”
Knox was shaking his head before she’d even finished the sentence. “By the time they get here this shipment will be long gone.”
“But they’ll know where to look next time.”
He ignored her statement. “Do you see that?” He pointed to a tiny object affixed to the side of the box toward the top. “Homing beacon.”
Beautiful. So whoever was coming to pick up the box had a device to lead them straight there. “So we’re just going to what, wait for them to show up? Knox there are two of us and we’re unarmed.”
“I know,” he said, his voice tight.
Jumping in front of the wheel, Knox cranked the engine. He scanned the horizon, even as he began to maneuver away.
“Hang on. I’m getting us out of here.”
Avery’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the edge of the seat. Her heart pounded so fast she could feel the whoosh of blood as it sped through her veins. She wanted the boat to be going just as fast.
But before Knox could steer them away, a loud humming sound rolled across the water. Unlike the plane, it didn’t build quietly but went straight from low to roar.
A black boat streaked across the water, heading straight for them like a bullet.
“Dammit,” Knox breathed out.
Avery felt her eyes widen with fear and disbelief. How had her day gone so completely sideways? They were supposed to be playing with sonar, not dealing with drug runners.
The boat approached quickly. Low and sleek, it cut through the waves at a speed that boggled the mind. It screamed up beside them, throwing spray that coated her skin in seawater and sandwiching their vessel against the box.
The engine cut out suddenly, and a lazy drawl came from the other boat.
“You appear to be lost.”
The man speaking had bronzed skin and gleaming white teeth, along with an American accent, insolent smile and sharp eyes. He stood in front of a group of men who didn’t bother to hide the guns pointed in their direction.
Avery glanced over at Knox. Gone was the guy who’d splashed water on her earlier, slapped a beer into her hand last night and made inappropriate comments about her sleeping attire.
The person glaring at the men in the boat next to them was a soldier. One who’d put his life on the line multiple times and would do so again to protect his friends and family. Maybe even her...
A shiver of awareness and apprehension rocked through Avery’s body.
Knox’s jaw was tight, his eyes alert and watchful. But none of that came through in the languid words that slipped through his lips. “That’s funny, I was going to say the same thing about this box. I’m guessing you’re the owner.”
The leader shrugged his shoulders. “I am.”
Moving carefully, Knox positioned himself so that he was in front of her, making himself a target for the weapons trained their way.
“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing you showed up to retrieve it. Saves me the effort of hauling it back to my ship.”
The guy on the other boat laughed, throwing his head back as if Knox had just told the most amazing joke. The sound grated against Avery’s already frayed nerves.
This was not going to end well.
And there was nothing she could do about it. She was trained in Muay Thai, something she’d begun when her family lived in a small village in Thailand during one of her father’s archaeological digs. But that skill was useless with them occupying separate boats. Muay Thai required close contact...their guns, not so much.
That didn’t stop the adrenaline from flooding her system. Or the involuntary way her body adjusted, muscle memory taking over and preparing her for a fight she really didn’t want.
Her movement caught the drug runner’s attention. Shifting on his feet, he peered at her around the wall of Knox’s body. The grin he sent her was wolfish.
She’d seen that expression before, on a different face. One she tried not to think about because that night had altered her life...and her sister’s.
But there wasn’t time for those memories right now.
Standing slowly, Avery filled her voice with determination and said, “Take the cargo and let us leave.”
The man’s grin widened. “I think it’s adorable you believe you have any say in what’s going to happen next.”
THE MINUTE KNOX had pulled up to that crate and seen the tracking beacon, he’d known they were in trouble. He’d hoped to get away, but feared they wouldn’t have time.
A drop like this...the guys waiting to retrieve it wouldn’t be very far away.
What the hell had he been thinking, chasing after an object falling from the sky with an untrained civilian along for the ride?
But the reality was the Chimera site was too close to the drop. He might have avoided a confrontation today only to stumble straight into another one later, with more people caught in the crosshairs and a ton of expensive equipment on the line.
He’d made the best choice he could given the circumstances, but that didn’t ease his conscience when there was a gun pointed straight at Avery’s head. These men were seasoned professionals. Knox recognized the workings of a well-oiled team.
Grim regret pulled at him. When they got out of this, he was going to owe Avery.
On the bright side, she’d surprised him. He’d half expected her to dissolve into hysterics. Instead, she was glaring at the men in the opposite boat. Okay, so he could have used a little less attitude from her—because he wasn’t the only one picking up on her hostility. But he’d take what he could get.
His legs shifting beneath the easy rocking of the boat, Knox really wished he could feel the reassuring metal of his Beretta against his palm. It had been a long time since he’d missed that sensation.
He’d have to make do with the wrench he’d taken from the toolbox under the seat along with the emergency beacon he’d surreptitiously stuffed into his pocket before the other boat had arrived.
“Sweetheart,” the leader said, “why don’t you jump on over here.”
It was a command, not a question. And Knox seriously disliked the predatory expression that accompanied the words.
“Don’t move, Avery,” Knox countered, even as she started to obey.
“What? Really?” She froze and a little spurt of relief shot through him. Not that it lasted long.
The leader smirked, his lips twisting. “That looks like some pretty expensive equipment.”
